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Hachette UK and Quarto UK have consolidated the office spaces they occupy in London, while Bonnier Books UK also plans to bring all its trade publishing staff under one roof in a new office. Meanwhile Oxfordshire-headquartered Taylor & Francis has said it plans to reduce office space as it approaches new ways of working post-lockdown.
A Hachette UK spokesperson confirmed: "We’ve consolidated our London offices over the past year and are delighted to be welcoming Bookouture, Jessica Kingsley Publishers and Laurence King Publishers [which previously occupied separate offices in King's Cross and Islington] to our London headquarters, Carmelite House. We remain committed to opening regional offices in Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle and Sheffield and plans are progressing now that we have a roadmap to the removal of restrictions."
The spokesperson added: "All of our offices will be hubs for creativity, collaboration and exchanging ideas and we look forward to our teams, authors and industry partners being together in person again as we transition to our blended office and home working model."
The publisher is revamping the sixth story and roof terrace at Carmelite House, it added.
At Quarto, group c.e.o. Polly Powell has revealed the firm closed its White Lion Street office at the end of February, bringing all London staff together at its main office in north London. However, she insisted office working was still “vital”.
Powell explained: “We have been refurbishing our headquarters, The Old Brewery, to not only refresh the rather wonderful building but also to make slightly different spaces reflecting how we use offices in the new world — quiet spaces, social spaces, water cooler spaces for example.
“We see around a 50% occupancy at any given time as most publishing roles have adapted well to working at home. Consequently, we have not renewed the licence on our White Lion Street offices, bringing all London staff together under one roof. We have just acquired shiny new offices in Brighton at 18 Circus Street which is part of the redevelopment of the area and which remains an important hub for us. We are very much of the opinion that offices are a vital part of business and of the social wellbeing of our staff and we do not see their demise anytime soon.”
Bonnier Books UK is due to announce a new office location soon, bringing all its trade publishing under one roof in central London. The publisher said this would be designed with flexible working in mind but the office space would not be reduced. Last year, c.e.o. Perminder Mann announced all employees will eventually be allowed to work up to three days a week from home.
Earlier this month, education publisher Pearson announced it planned to occupy significantly smaller office space as part of a reorganisation plan, the first publisher to openly talk about downsizing office space. Now academic presses Taylor & Francis and SAGE have also confirmed they are reviewing their office needs.
A T&F spokesperson said many of its staff were still working remotely as the company focused on prioritising their wellbeing. “We have also been consulting staff about what returning to a physical office might mean in order to come up with working models that combine recognised benefits of remote working with the needs of colleagues to get together in person for team-building, collaboration and sharing ideas," the spokesperson added. "This has already happened at our home base in Milton Park. Based on a survey, only 4% of our people want to return to the office full-time, and so the reduction of office space is something that will happen, although the extent and details are not finalised yet.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for SAGE said: “We are planning for new ways of working post-pandemic that combine the benefits of time in the office with the gains we have realised from remote working. We have not lost sight of the value of face-to-face time in our business, in particular for maintaining a strong culture and connection within teams, as well as to support creativity. In the short term, we will be keeping our existing space while we get a clearer sense of what effective flexible working patterns will mean for our office needs.”
Other houses are also looking at hybrid ways of working post-lockdown, though many insist the office is here to stay.
Penguin Random House completed a major office move to One Embassy Gardens last year and, although it recently sold its Vauxhall Bridge Road offices for £67m, a leaseback deal is expected to see it remain there for 15 years at least. A spokesperson said: “We are thinking carefully about what a hybrid model might look like for future ways of working, but the office will continue to play an important role for our company.”
Bloomsbury's c.e.o. Nigel Newton also said the company was considering new ways of working and, although this would not mean downsizing offices, there could be changes on the way.
He explained: “We are looking forward to returning to our office spaces when the time is right. Our offices are a cherished part of who we are as a company. Bedford Square is home for our staff and our authors; as we look to reframe the way we work for ourselves and for our buildings we see positive change ahead. For Bloomsbury this doesn’t mean occupying less office space, it just means using it a far more agile way. We’re excited by the change that hybrid working will bring to allow us to redesign our use of our offices to work best for all our staff and authors.”
Simon & Schuster's UK offices have remained open for essential work and its c.e.o. Ian Chapman said he aimed to open in a phased manner once safe to do so and in line with government guidance.
He said: “We have no current plans to change our office space, however we will continue to review the situation as needed. We’ve managed a brilliant year not being in the office, so we are aware that there will be an adjustment period for all staff, so this is something we will be keeping a close eye on. We are also continuing to work with our staff to offer flexibility where needed and are emphasising the importance of communication to ensure that the right balance of health and wellbeing, combined with our work commitments, is at the forefront of all we do.”