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The Centre, based at the entrance to the town’s new Airfield Business Park, opened just 18 months ago and is already well over halfway to full capacity.
One of the Centre’s newest residents is Fact 51, set up by social media and digital marketer David Granger, who left Formula One after eight seasons to work in his home town of Market Harborough.
“I spent seven years travelling the world with Red Bull Racing,” explained David, who started his career at the Harborough Mail. “As the team developed into three times world champions I was responsible for co-ordinating their digital media and launching all their social media channels. We won awards, led the F1 market and I met and worked with a lot of very talented people across the globe. It was a great experience, but as a dad of two young children I also wanted to be at home at the weekend, rather than at a racetrack.”
After several months of planning David launched social media and digital marketing company Fact 51 Limited and made the Innovation Centre his home.
“It was just easy,” said David, who lives in a village near the Centre. “I chose my office, walked in, plugged in and was at work straight away. I already have clients in this country and across Europe. Business is good, I'm my own boss – and I get to play with my kids at the weekend."
Northwood, a guaranteed rent lettings agency, has also just moved into Harborough Innovation Centre.
Manager Andrew Le Mesurier explained: “We literally drove past, popped in and moved in a few weeks later. For any business wanting a professional environment and one in which you can arrive and get going straight away this is perfect. Northwood is already well established in Leicester and has over 75 offices across the UK so being based here means we can now expand into the Market Harborough catchment area. We have ambition and plan to become the agency of choice for landlords across the district. Northwood offers a unique product – guaranteed income for landlords every week of the year even if their property is not occupied.
“The Harborough district is a fast moving and healthy market. What it has been missing up until now is the rental certainty that Northwood’s guaranteed product delivers. We expect significant numbers of landlords in Harborough to find this approach fresh and appealing, joining over 13,000 clients across the country. Our unique approach is being rolled out through a programme of new satellite offices locally that enable us to get closer to our customer base.”
As well as the resident businesses, Harborough Innovation Centre is a ‘virtual’ home to 13 other companies, which use the centre as a business address and access the centre’s hot desks, telephone answering service, meeting rooms and catering facilities as and when they need.
Harborough Innovation Centre is managed by Oxford Innovation, which operates a network of 21 business and innovation centres across the country, providing office and laboratory space for over 500 businesses. Occupiers benefit from flexible letting arrangements and a range of support through Oxford Innovation, which includes funding assistance through business angel investment networks, mentoring and networking events.
Call in and see the Centre for yourself. Or find out more by calling Senior Centre Manager Mick Judge on 01858 414200 or emailing m.judge@oxin.co.uk
