Newbury Interiors is 20 years young!
Newbury Interiors started trading in June 1990 and now celebrates 20 years of providing quality commercial interiors.
Key to the companies’ success has been the relationships developed with their clients. Newbury is still working with many of them.
The original strap line ‘Commercial Interiors by Professionals’ still underlines the company ethos.
Office furniture Xpress Stock Book now ‘in stock’
We have just received Newbury Interiors’ issue of the Xpress Stock Book 2010.
This includes a comprehensive range of Senator furniture and seating products available within an express timescale.
As the UK’s largest manufacturer of office and contemporary furniture Senator offers an extensive portfolio of quality products.
Contact us now for your copy.
Browse the Senator web site
Greenham Common Trust fitting-out contract for Newbury Interiors
Greenham Common Trust has awarded Newbury Commercial Interiors the contract to alter and fit-out their premises at 4-8 The Broadway, Newbury. The Trust is refurbishing the building to provide a town centre location for local voluntary services and businesses including the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).
The three storey building at 4-8 The Broadway provides approximately 10,000 sq ft of office accommodation. As part of the alterations, Newbury Interiors is re-configuring the ground floor to provide a main reception area with retail space for temporary exhibitions. The CAB will occupy the second floor, whilst the first floor will provide office space for a number of voluntary organisations and rooms for meetings, training and counselling. The refurbishment work includes provision of a lift serving all floors, disabled toilet and ramped access to the main entrance. Newbury Interiors starts the project in March 2010, with the main works expected to last 12 weeks.
Caravans drive construction industry efficiency forward
Caravans and the building industry? These seem unlikely partners and yet technology principles developed in caravan manufacture are helping to improve efficiency in the construction industry.
The December issue of ‘Specialist Building Finishes’ magazine features the latest fabrication techniques that are evolving in off-site fabrication, thanks to the modular building techniques originally developed for caravan manufacture.
Off-site fabrication accounts for only 5% of total construction currently but according to Finishes magazine, manufacturers such as British Gypsum and Lafarge have been looking at off-site fabrication as a key way of improving time and build programme certainty, as well as driving down waste. In addition, complicated features and repeated, identical elements can be manufactured to high quality and with greater accuracy off-site.
From pre-assembled walls to almost complete rooms, off-site manufacture is gaining popularity as manufacturers seek to improve accuracy and quality as well as minimise disruption to the client. Lafarge’s curved Platec technique, for example, has been used to create a number of 4 metre high conical light shafts at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. The striking-looking cones were assembled on site from a pre-fabricated plasterboard kit.
Are You an Office Scrooge?
With Christmas fast approaching, just how prepared is your office-based business premises for the seasonal break?
For some, leaving for Christmas will mean little more than switching on the answer-phone and locking the door behind them. But why not use your preparations for the Christmas break as a reason to save both resources and money.
According to the government backed sustainability advice body, Envirowise, businesses can ensure their office is resource efficient over the Christmas period and prevent needlessly wasting money by making a few quick and easy checks and taking the following steps:
Check kitchen and washroom areas for leaking taps or pipes – a dripping tap can lose up to 26 litres water a day.
Adjust your heating so it is on for the minimum time required during those periods when the office will be empty.
Consider fitting a lighting timer, rather than leaving lights on for long periods, if you are concerned about security while away from the office.
Check any seasonal variations on your usual waste and recycling collections, to avoid materials being disposed of unnecessarily.
Make sure office equipment is turned off or use any energy saving functions available during the holiday period – but check with your systems operator before adjusting any computer equipment.
Use this as an opportunity to save paper and cancel any unwanted magazine or newspaper subscriptions for 2010.
To find out more about Envirowise, click here:
Visit Newbury Interiors at the Keeping Business Local event!
Newbury Interiors is taking part in Newbury’s biggest Business to Business exhibition – Keeping Business Local – on Monday 9th November at Newbury Racecourse. Visitors will be able to source new products and find out the latest information and new business solutions from a wide cross section of exhibiting companies. Free seminars will be run throughout the day on topics including marketing and sales techniques, social networking, Inland revenue & tax planning and human resources.
Stylish New Flooring Substitute from Amtico
Flooring specialist Amtico has come up with the perfect alternative to carpet tiles. Spacia Access flooring comes in wood, stone and abstract effects and offers a stylish yet practical solution for areas with raised access flooring. It is installed without the need for permanent adhesive making it easy to lift for access and ideal for semi-permanent commercial and promotional areas.
To find out more call Newbury Interiors on 0800 161 3027.
New Guide to Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme
The British Council of Offices has produced a new guide entitled “The Carbon Reduction Commitment – a Guide for Landlords and Tenants”. Available free from their website, the publication details the CRC emissions trading scheme that will apply to large businesses and public sector organisations from April 2010.
The CRC forms part of the UK Government’s programme to achieve 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It currently covers all organisations with an electricity consumption through half hourly meters of greater than 6,0000MWh/yr, equivalent to an annual electricity bill of around £ 500 K.
To find out more, go to http://www.bco.org.uk/research/researchavailabletobuy/detail.cfm?rid=142&cid=0
Newbury Interiors joins the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce
Newbury Commercial Interiors is proud to join the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group works with businesses across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire to help them achieve their full business potential. They offer their members a range of services including business advice, networking events, training and international trade support.
The Thames Valley Group of the largest Chambers accredited by the British Chambers of Commerce in the UK, and are the only accredited Chamber in the region. They have over 2,000 small and medium sized business members.
Newbury Interiors joins the Twitter revolution!
Newbury Commercial Interiors recently set up a Twitter account to allow our clients (and anyone else who is interested) to keep up to date with the latest commercial interiors news and developments at Newbury Interiors through short messages (“tweets”) that can be sent to your mobile phone, smartphone or email address.
To follow us, go to www.twitter.com and search for Newbury Interiors.
Newbury Interiors awarded fire precautions contract for West Berkshire schools
Newbury Interiors has been awarded contracts for a number of West Berkshire schools to upgrade their fabric fire precautions. Part of West Berkshire Council rigorous fire safety programme, the work includes replacing a significant number of fire door sets and fire barriers at each school all in time for the start of the Autumn term.
As a specialist interior contractor, Newbury Interiors has many years experience in health and safety issues and can assist organisations on the relevant materials and products required to meet fire safety law.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 businesses and organisations no longer require a fire certificate. Instead the law emphasises fire prevention and reducing risk and makes it the responsibility of the owner or manager of a business to ensure safety. A legally-designated responsible person for fire safety must be appointed to organise a risk assessment, identify any possible fire risks and deal with them.
For further information on fire safety law click here:
Companies rent spare desk space to make money
A new website has been launched to help companies make money from underused or wasted office space. Desk Space Genie is dedicated to the growing phenomenon of desk space rental. Companies list their spare desks and ‘deskers’ search the listings by location.
Desk schemes normally involve a package including broadband, utilities and security but hot desks schemes are also available on a pay-as-you-use basis.
Adding to or searching the listings is free. However companies can choose to promote their advert by bidding for a higher place on the listings.
For further details click here
Helping to finance office fit outs
With capital expenditure being a major concern for any organisation considering an office fit out, particularly in these ‘credit crunch’ times, Newbury Interiors can make it easier by arranging attractive leasing solutions.
As an independent commercial interior specialist, this free, no commission leasing facility is offered to clients as part of Newbury Interiors’ design-to-completion service. Working with leading finance companies in the office fit-out and furniture market, Newbury Interiors can negotiate a choice of leasing proposals (subject to qualification) to obtain the best deal for clients.
Many companies choose leasing in order to keep cash in the business, rather than use it to invest in depreciating assets. Leasing offers many other benefits including
- Easier budgeting
- Management of cash flow
- Flexibility to add to the lease
- Conserves capital and preserves existing borrowing power
- Unlike any other form of finance, leasing is 100% tax allowable and can work out cheaper than paying cash
- Flexible terms from one to five years
- Payments come from a revenue budget as opposed to a capital budget
- Includes all costs of an office refit in one easy monthly payment
Chris Chamberlain, Newbury Interiors Managing Director added: “If clients prefer not to lease, as an alternative we also offer flexible payment options, so that clients can spread the cost of a refit over the course of the project.
The first office chair designed with women in mind!
Swedish company Officeline have launched a new task chair designed to accommodate the female body and its particular seating habits. The chair was designed following extensive research into the way women sit at work.
“Lei” features a patented LumberFlex system to support the lower vertebrae to adapt to the fact that most women lean forward when working at a desk. It also has armrests attached to the back of the chair rather than up from the seat as women tend to be more pear-shaped.
To find out more about Lei call Newbury Interiors on 0800 161 3027.
‘In The Loop’ film performance for Newbury Interiors partitions
In an unusual departure from normal office fit-outs, local commercial interiors specialist Newbury Commercial Interiors has built part of the set for the Armando Iannucci’s new film ‘In The Loop’ which hit cinemas on April 17th.
Loop Productions Ltd asked Newbury Interiors to build the set for the office scenes of In The Loop that were filmed at Swakeleys House, Ickenham, Middlesex. The set design required enclosed offices of solid and glazed partitioning to be built alongside a central open plan area.
As experts in commercial interiors and refurbishment, Newbury Interiors ensures that projects are carried out to a client’s requirements on time and within budget. Project Manager Bradley Young said: “We essentially approached the office fit-out for ‘In The Loop’ like any other. However, normally the offices we create stay in place for several years – the difference here, was that after filming had finished we had to reconfigure the offices back to how they were before!”.
Directed by master satirist Armando Iannucci and written by the team that brought ‘The Thick of It’, In the Loop is a political comedy and re-enacts a fictionalised version of the Iraq War. It stars James Gandolfini (of Sopranos fame), Tom Hollander and Chris Addison – as well as Newbury Interiors partitioning!
Greener Business Network – reducing carbon footprint
Newbury Commercial Interiors was delighted to participate at the inaugural conference of the Greener Business Network last month. The initiative was formed by West Berkshire District Council and aims to promote a reduction in West Berkshire’s carbon footprint by raising environmental issues to businesses across the region.
The initiative encourages a commitment to the following ideals:
- Improve energy efficiency
- Improve waste recycling
- Promote biodiversity
- Promote local food generation
The Greener Business Network conference was co-sponsored by AWE Plc and Vodafone Support Services. It brought together a broad spectrum of representatives from the retail, business, industrial and agricultural sectors as well as advice agencies and companies promoting environmental solutions.
Delegates discussed environmental issues affecting their organisations such as waste management, transport strategy and recycling and ways of reducing their carbon footprint.
Newbury Interiors managing director Chris Chamberlain said: “I came away from the evening excited by the enthusiasm of like-minded organisations, sharing and developing great practical ideas for local business of all kinds to be greener – and save money.”
Constructionline registration for Newbury Interiors
Office refit and refurbishment specialist Newbury Commercial Interiors Ltd has become a registered member of Constructionline – the UK’s register of pre-qualified local and national construction suppliers.
Constructionline is owned and endorsed by the DTI and is designed to streamline procurement procedures within a single national pre-qualification scheme. Supplier details are made available to over 8,000 public and private sector buyers from over 1600 organisations, helping to ensure they achieve “best value” objectives.
Newbury Interiors Managing Director, Chris Chamberlain said: We’ve been an established commercial interior specialist in the Thames Valley for over 20 years working for both public and private sector organisations. Our registration with constructionline demonstrates the quality, reliability and attention to detail you get from a Newbury Interiors refit or refurbishment.
Pat Noble, Facilities Operations Manager for West Berkshire Council explained “We have worked with Newbury Interiors for a number of years and they have proven to be helpful and competent.”
“Constructionline is always where we start the tendering process and I would definitely advise any organisation to see how it could work for them,” added John Pygott, Contracts and Quantity Surveying Manager for Northampton Borough Council.
CHAS compliance for Newbury Commercial Interiors Ltd
Newbury Commercial Interiors Ltd has been assessed as compliant under the Contractors Health & Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS).
CHAS is used by public and private sector organisations when short listing contractors, suppliers or consultants to work for them. It was developed by local authority health and safety and procurement professionals, with the support of the Health and Safety Executive.
“Having CHAS certification shows that we are compliant with important parts of health & safety law and establishes a consistent procedure across employers”, explains Chris Chamberlain, Newbury Commercial Interiors managing director.
“Furthermore, members to not have to repeat the effort of assessing health & safety compliance of applications for companies who have already been assessed to CHAS standards,” Chris adds.
To find out more about CHAS, click here: www.chas.gov.uk.
