Finding the right office space for your business is essential in order to drive productivity over time, so understanding your various options is key if you’re planning a relocation at the moment.
Some of the most common categories for office fitouts are Cat A and Cat B, and familiarising yourself with them both will help you decide which is the best option for you.
Here’s a guide to both these categories to point you in the right direction – but, of course, if you have any further questions or need any advice relating to offices to rent in Manchester, get in touch with the Canning O’Neill team today.
What are Cat A office fitouts?
Category A fitouts include all essential office infrastructure and finishes required for a company to operate, all provided by a landlord.
This is one step up from a shell and core commercial space, which (as the name might perhaps suggest!) is simply provided to organisations as a skeleton, with flooring, walls and a roof, as well as the standard lobbies, lifts and toilet areas.
The internal office space, however, is left completely blank so that businesses can design it as they see fit.
With Cat A space, this shell and core concept is built upon to incorporate other services, including basic plumbing, ventilation and heating, lighting and so on, as well as other relatively basic finishes on floors, walls and ceilings.
While this does mean that incoming businesses are able to start operating immediately, since it is a functional environment from the outset, the office space itself is still something of a blank canvas, ripe for customisation and full office branding.
What are Cat B office fitouts?
Cat B office fitouts involve tailoring the space more specifically to suit whatever requirements you have. As the tenant, you will design, organise and pay for the fit out.
This could involve, for example, the construction of partitioning to separate the space out into different zones, breakout spaces, meeting rooms and so on.
This is your chance to make the space your own and add all the features that will benefit your business, no matter how unique they may be.
Something else to bear in mind with Cat B fitouts is that you can design them around your branding and company culture, making the space perfect for your business.
As the tenant, you will typically have to carry out and pay for these yourself and will likely need the landlord’s approval before forging ahead with plans. Furthermore, you will also have to take on the lease before you start work on building customisation.
What are Cat A+ office fitouts?
With a Cat A+ office fitout, the landlord provides a higher level of office fitout including meeting rooms, kitchens and partitioning. This is done to incentivise tenants to move into the space and to reduce construction time for tenants.
This does come with the cost of not getting your choice of fittings, which you would receive with a Cat B fitout, and it will be more expensive than a Cat A/Cat B as the landlord has put more money and work into the space.
What are plug & play/fully fitted & furnished fitouts?
Fully fitted and furnished offices are those that have full fitout and furniture provided by the landlord. This allows for minimal construction time, as all you need to do is “plug in” your computers and start working.
Note that this does come at a higher price as the landlord has to pay for furniture.
So, to summarise:
- Cat A/Cat A+ is where the landlord provides the fitout
- Cat B is where the tenant provides the fitout
- Plug & play is where the landlord provides office space that’s ready to go, with full fitout and furniture delivered
Still can’t decide? Struggling to find the right office space to suit your operation? Let the Canning O’Neill team lend a hand.
