Six months after opening Thomas House, leading serviced office provider, venYou, has announced that the building has reached full occupancy – a significant achievement resulting in a strong yearly performance for the Belfast-based company.
The announcement reinforces the strength of Belfast’s serviced office market following the publication of Lambert Smith Hampton’s (LSH) Regional Offices Market Report in December 2024, which stated that Belfast was on track to post its strongest year for office take up since 2019, with the take up of Grade A office space accounting for 86% of 2024 volume.
Thomas House, located on James Street South, opened in June following a complete refurbishment of the 8,500sq ft building. The five floors of fully furnished, first-class open workspace with a contemporary ground floor executive lounge were designed to showcase venYou’s distinctive style and attention to detail. Interest in the property was high from the outset.
Speaking about the serviced office sector in Belfast, Client Services Director, Donna Linehan said, “The serviced office sector, is somewhat different compared to five years ago. Add in Covid and its impact, and we have seen a fluctuation as companies adapted, restructured and grew in the various business climates.
“What has become clear, particularly during 2024/2025, is that many companies and their people now prefer to be in the office, whether it is for two, three or five days a week. Location is always an important factor, but they also need flexibility. Servicing those needs and providing the right client experience has been an essential element of venYou’s success.
“Our Belfast properties, including our flagship building, the Scottish Provident, are all very different environments, our clients choose us first and foremost because of the unique service and tailored office spaces that we offer. Regardless of the size of a company and its business trajectory, we do our very utmost to ensure we have a workspace solution for that client.”
aPriori, a US-based software development organisation, was one of the first companies that relocated to Thomas House last year.
Matthew Mullan of aPriori commented at the time, “This move to Thomas House is for culture and team dynamic reasons, not just about having more space. While many of our staff work on a hybrid basis, we still have a really positive culture in Belfast and most people enjoy spending time with their colleagues. What we needed was a collaborative hub where we could maintain connections, discuss ideas, and solve problems together. Thomas House delivers an open plan office with a real tech centre feel.”
Speaking about the building, Operations Director, Jonny Hill said, “With Thomas House, we knew from the beginning we had something very special. From the loft style workspace interiors and exceptional finish of each floor to the executive boardroom, the high calibre of the building was recognised by everyone who came to view the space.
“We set out to create a place where businesses could optimise the opportunity to collaborate and thrive. This has been well received and we are delighted to see Thomas House filled in such a short space of time. Our new clients represent a range of growing sectors including tech, wholesale trade, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and business transformation. and who also love the space as much as we do.
“With clients who love the space as much as we do, we look forward to supporting their progress and welcome them to join our vibrant venYou community.”
Concluding, Donna Linehan said, “To reach this milestone six months after the official opening of Thomas House reinforces that the demand for high quality serviced office space remains high, and this is something that we continually see from not only our current clients, but prospective clients. It’s a very exciting time for venYou as we look to the future of the company within the business landscape and continue our current growth trajectory.”
Thomas House is the fourth property within venYou’s growing portfolio, which also includes Scottish Provident Building, Ascot House and Northern Court.
The brand was established in 2019 in response to increasing requests from clients within the Scottish Provident Building that had outgrown their current space and required more workspace, but who wanted to continue receiving the exceptional standard of service offering from directors, Jonny Hill and Donna Linehan, and their housekeeping and client services teams.
For more information on venYou, visit venyou.co.uk.
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