Octopus Investments (‘Octopus’) today announced that it has a new home having moved offices to Sainsbury’s headquarters building at 33 Holborn, London, to support its growth strategy. The move comes shortly before the company celebrates its 15th anniversary and reaches £5 billion of funds under management.
Founded in 2000, Octopus is one of the UK’s fast-growing fund management businesses with dominant positions in several specialist sectors including smaller company investing. Currently the leading provider of Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), Enterprise Investment Schemes and Business Property Relief based inheritance tax solutions, the company has achieved significant growth in funds under management and is set for further expansion as it looks to scale its investment platforms over the coming years.
Commenting on the move, Simon Rogerson, CEO of Octopus, said:
‘Moving offices has always been a major milestone for us. We’ve grown rapidly in recent years and with the number of employees doubling in the last couple of years we had outgrown our offices – this calendar year alone we increased our headcount by 90. When we first set up Octopus working from a few desks in shared offices, we never dreamed that we would build the company we have today. Moving into Sainsbury’s headquarters signals how far Octopus has come thanks to the hard work of all of our employees over the last 14 years and our relentless commitment to customer service.’
Today Octopus has over 350 employees and 50,000 customers, works with over 3000 financial advisers and has supported over 450 UK smaller companies. The office move comes on the back of an exciting year for the company, which has seen it expand its healthcare business through the acquisition of leading UK healthcare real estate investment manager MedicX Holdings Ltd, record its strongest VCT fundraising period over tax year end, and build on its accolades for customer service most recently scoring top marks for customer service in Financial Adviser Service Awards.
Simon Rogerson added:
“2014 has been a milestone year for us. We’re excited about our growth potential – the recent change to pension legislation and increased demand for our core products is at the heart of this, but expansion will also be driven by opportunities in markets where we believe we can really make a difference to the customer. We’re looking forward to building on our success to date from our new home at 33 Holborn as we look to scale our healthcare, energy and investment platforms by continuing to offer exceptional service and innovative investment solutions to our customers, and by providing a wide range of funding options for exceptional companies.”
The office has been designed by architect PENSON, which was responsible for the overhaul of Google’s head office in Covent Garden.
Alex Miller, COO at Octopus, said:
“Excitingly this is the first time in Octopus’ history that we’ve been able to design an office from scratch for the company’s needs. With PENSON’s help we’ve used the space to create a modern and progressive working environment that embraces our values as a company determined to make a difference to our customers, the businesses we work with and the markets we enter. The office is open plan and, over time, we intend to create an incubator space for some of our portfolio companies to come and work with us.”
Octopus’ new address is: 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT. The new offices have achieved SKA Gold rating reflecting its strong environmental credentials and high quality sustainable fit-out. Octopus’ solar developer partner, Lightsource Renewable Energy, will also be moving to 33 Holborn. In partnership with Lightsource, Octopus has now deployed over £900m into solar, investing in both small and large scale solar power sites.
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This press release is issued by Octopus Investments Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for use by journalists in their professional capacity and should not be relied upon by retail clients. The value of investments, and the income from them, may fall or rise. The information in this document should not be construed as offering investment or tax advice.