Developer is taking pride in easy terms deal for small firms

To help Derby businesses bite back during the credit crunch, a developer has become the first to offer managed offices in Pride Park without a long lease personal guarantees or repair liabilities. Melbourne Developments, which is developing the five-acre Pullman Business Park on Pride Park, has invested £1m in its small business centre.

Pride Park Business Centre was built to plug a gap in the market that has grown since the credit crunch started to bite.

It is the first and only managed business centre on Pride Park that offers space on an all-inclusive basis and easy-in easy-out terms.

The managing director of Melbourne Developments, Errol Prime, has also struck a deal with Secret Millionaire star Kavita Oberoi allowing occupiers at the Pride Park Business Centre to use Oberoi Consulting's conferencing facilities at a reduced rate.

Milner McCrea is the sole letting and managing agent for Pride Park Business Centre. Director Peter Milner said: "The hard lesson of the last recession demonstrated that there is always a demand for commercial property, its form and type simply changes and the successful developer has to change with it.

"Give the market what it wants and you can survive the recession.

"For now, the market will increasingly require quality space at the lowest cost and on the most flexible terms.

"The creation by Melbourne Developments of a managed business centre on Pride Park provides an immediate solution to all of those requirements, enhanced by the unique arrangement that has been put into place with Oberoi Consulting to provide conferencing and meeting facilities."

The individual units range in size from 270 sq ft to 700 sq ft and are designed to appeal to companies looking for flexibility and fixed weekly overheads. Car parking is provided on site.

Companies wanting a Pride Park address can now get a self-contained office with broadband, air conditioning and car parking from around £100 per week.

Kavita Oberoi said: "The deal with Melbourne Developments to offer this is a good partnership because our conferencing facilities are within walking distance of the business centre.

"Errol builds great buildings and we are always looking for new avenues to develop our business interests."

Since the turn of the millennium, the company has undertaken six different projects on Pride Park, investing over £20m in building more than 200,000 sq ft of commercial space.

Mr Milner said: "During periods of economic slow-down, companies often need to either downsize in order to reduce costs or establish a foothold without major commitment.

"The Pride Park Business Centre has been designed to allow companies to do both."