sub800

A landlord built this one, and the whole proposition follows from that. sub800 was founded by a London property owner who kept seeing good buildings standing half-empty or tied into long, lifeless leases while the businesses inside them wanted space that was ready, well run and unmistakably theirs. His conclusion was that no operator ran buildings the way an owner would, so he built one. The company is candid that scale is not the pitch, opening its own brand description with the line that it is not the biggest portfolio and not the cheapest desk.

Where most managed offices arrive as a fixed package, sub800 works the other way round: concierge, cleaning, food and drink, IT, repairs, furniture and member's club access are each chosen, scaled or left out, then folded into one monthly cost. The buildings carry real character rather than a house style, from a Victorian industrial building at Seven Dials rebuilt to Grade A with a private terrace to a six-storey warehouse conversion on Paul Street. One structural point deserves attention: the occupier signs a lease with the landlord and a separate service agreement with sub800, rather than the single licence most operators use.