Winning Combinations In The Postcode Lottery

By Author: Morgan Smith
Total Articles: 4
Comment this article

It is an intangible object of desire, an often in-elegant alphanumeric sequence, a deciding factor in your access to health and education services, and an aide to the accurate delivery of mail. It's also about to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in the UK.

The best postcodes are up there in the pantheon of much-sought-after acquisitions, rubbing shoulders with the personalized car number plate, the platinum credit card and the shortest URL addresses.

However, unlike a car registration plate, credit card or web address, the humble postcode is, by its nature, tied to one spot, and for that reason alone there's is no reasonable doubt that an SW1 trumps an E20 or N24, however much those fictional residents of North and East London might disagree.

While the most desired postcodes can command telephone number house prices, and premium rental levels for office space, a desirable postcode can also, instantly, say as much about your lifestyle or your business values as your Face book profile or corporate brochure.

London's Postcode Elite: St James, Mayfair and Belgravia

St James, located ...
... behind Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square, remains London's most prestigious postcode. SW1 is home to royal parks, palaces, and some of the oldest gentleman's clubs in the world. It symbolises tradition, authenticity, old money and high society - and also reportedly boasts what will currently be the world's most expensive apartment (£115m) to be located on St James's Square .

Of course, Belgravia, which also boasts the SW1 prefix, shares all of these attributes, as does Mayfair, just a short stroll away in W1, creating in combination the most prestigious triangle of neighborhoods in the Capital.

In addition, these areas of London are also much sought after business locations, and the lure of such postcodes can be as strong as the quality of the bricks and mortar. Recent years have seen St James's become a centre for hedge funds and private equity houses, for example.

Options open to Businesses

For businesses requiring the kudos of a prestige postcode, leasing conventional, commercial office space in the location of choice is one option, although as with all conventional leases, you may be tied in for a long period and committed to a suite that may not be flexible enough to meet your needs as your business expands or contracts.

Serviced offices, meanwhile, can offer flexible space with a high level of customer service, and provide a highly competitive alternative to conventional leases.

Yet, there is a third route to acquiring a prestige postcode. The Virtual Office option is particularly suited to those who do not want the expense and effort of setting up a permanent office, but realise the benefits of a prestigious address, first class facilities and office management services.

Virtual Offices

A virtual office package provides a business address for your company, and a place to work when you're in town. Other services can include switchboard call answering in your company's own name, mail handling, hot-desking and touchdown arrangements, access to executive lounges, meeting rooms, communications technology, videoconferencing, catering and support staff.

One of the biggest benefits, of course, is the use of a prestige address - and postcode - on your business cards, letterhead, website and other marketing materials.

The reasons why companies use virtual office services are diverse, though often by providing a presence in a given location they can help facilitate entry into new business markets for international companies. New business start ups often use virtual office services to appear to be located in a prime area of the city, when in fact the bulk of their operations may actually be based in a suburban garage or - conversely - a beach deckchair in Florida.

In terms of cost, you really do get what you pay for, and while some providers may charge as little as £50 for a virtual address, you can guarantee that it won't be a prestige location, and you certainly won't get the full range of services mentioned above as standard.

However, Virtual office arrangement in prestige locations such as Mayfair, Belgravia and St James can still provide amazing value for money given the benefits, with services often costing more than half the investment of taking a single desk space in a serviced office, and considerably less still than taking a lease.

Suddenly, the option to enjoy the benefits of a presence in some of London's most exclusive postcode areas is a realistic proposition for many small to medium sized companies.

The Executive Offices Group provides fully serviced offices and meeting space, video conferencing and virtual office facilities in prime locations across London and the UK for more Details visit: http://www.executiveoffices.co.uk/