Online marketplace OnBuy has launched a new HQ in Bournemouth town centre.
The move follows an incredible year of growth for the eCommerce innovator, resulting in a need to scale up its headquarters to accommodate the influx of new employees as the team now numbers more than 100.
As it prepares for international expansion, OnBuy says 100% of its team are shareholders in the business following the launch of its employee equity scheme in December.
OnBuy is just one of the lucrative tech companies to reside in ‘Silicon Beach’ in the South West, creating a hub of innovation on the British coastline including Nokia, BT and Vodafone.
Starting its journey in a small office space in Poole, the new headquarters – OnBuy House – will provide a 12,049 sq ft base to complement its Manchester presence and remote workers nationwide.
Occupying four stories of office space and ample breakout areas, along with a spacious roof terrace with stunning sea views, it says the building will be a home for innovative thinkers.
“We’ve always been on a steep growth trajectory, but we realised quickly that we needed to upgrade our space – particularly when we ran out of desks!” said founder and CEO Cas Paton.
“While plenty of companies are downsizing in favour of ‘WFH’ or hot-desking, I’ve always believed in creating a space where our team can think, do and thrive.
“We have fully adopted the need for a hybrid model ensuring we attract and develop the very best talent, but the offices are here to be the heart of the company, to provide a fantastic hub for collaboration and a place to come and enjoy being at work.
Talent beyond London
“The South West is where OnBuy was born, and I truly believe that there is a world of talent beyond the M25 to be tapped into. We’re known for hiring the best and brightest, and with our coastal base we’ve been able to bring on board a range of people with diverse skills that will help take us to the next level.”
Chief executive of the Dorset Chamber of Commerce Ian Girling said: “I’d like to offer my congratulations to Cas and the team at OnBuy on their move to their new HQ in Bournemouth.
“We work closely with OnBuy as Dorset Chamber Premier Business Partners as one of the leading tech businesses in the South and this move mirrors the meteoric growth of the business over the last couple of years.
“This achievement is another step on this incredible journey and we are proud to be working with OnBuy.”
The formal move will happen in February 2022, where the OnBuy team will start to populate the space in line with COVID regulations.