360Degrees Office Refurbishment Provides the Roots for Forest Holidays Future Growth

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 26 April 2016

UPDATED: 26 April 2016

A major refurbishment by Derby-based workplace design consultancy 360Degrees has helped tourism brand Forest Holidays to ensure its Support Centre now looks as desirable as its famous luxury cabins.

The project doubles Forest Holidays’ office capacity – including the addition of directors’ offices, meeting rooms and a canteen – while providing an inviting ‘forest feel’ for staff and visitors.

360Degrees was selected to design the refurbished workspace, based on the company’s extensive experience of creating better workplaces as well as its collaborative approach. Crucially, the company was flexible enough to collaborate with Forest Holidays’ in-house fit-out team, saving the company money when it came to installation. 

The solution by 360Degrees retains the informal, open-plan nature of the existing space; a distinctive workshop conversion, with high ceilings and exposed brickwork. At the same time, this was the perfect opportunity to professionalise the workplace in line with Forest Holidays’ brand.

 “We bring a modern slant to traditional leisure, and that’s the image that 360Degrees has brought into our Support Centre,”

confirms Bruce McKendrick, CEO of Forest Holidays.

The extended workplace now includes meeting rooms, informal break out spaces and hot desking options, for a truly flexible approach that benefits those Forest Holidays’ employees who are only occasionally based at HQ.

In addition, while the expanded space now incorporates separate offices for the directors, 360Degrees proposed glass partitions so as not to lose the open-plan feel. 

Alongside essential features such as storage areas, print stations and washrooms, the Support Centre also includes a large kitchen and canteen area, known affectionately as the ‘galley.’ With staff welfare also a key consideration for Forest Holidays, the galley can double as a break-out space for social events. 

The finishing touches were to bring the company’s distinctive branding into the design of the building, using wall-sized canvas prints and murals. 

The majority of installation work was completed over the Christmas break, meaning that Forest Holidays’ staff came back in 2016 to a completely transformed workplace. 

“We’ve had a terrific response from our team,” confirms Bruce.  “Unprompted feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

“360Degrees has done an amazing job that gives us a firm base for our continued growth; it has transformed our Support Centre into a modern, effective, inspirational place to work.”

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