BRS Golf ‘Tees Up’ at City Quays 1
Belfast Harbour’s ‘Grade A’ Office City Quays 1 is Now Fully Let
BRS Golf, the world’s leading provider of cloud-based online tee-time booking systems for golf clubs, has become the latest tenant to ‘tee up’ at Belfast Harbour’s City Quays 1 office.
The letting means that the 83,000 sq ft Grade A office, which was only completed in June 2015, is now fully let. The other tenants are legal firm Baker & McKenzie, and technology firms Cayan and MACOM.
BRS Golf, founded by two Northern Ireland brothers, Rory and Brian Smith in 2003, is now a division of NBC Sports, GolfNow and the Golf Channel. The company, which supplies 2,100 golf clubs across Europe and North America, and handles more than 30 million bookings annually, will occupy the ground floor of City Quays 1. Their customers include Royal Portrush, Royal County Down, Druid’s Glen, K Club and many more.
Graeme Johnston, Belfast Harbour’s Property Director, said:
“The fact that City Quays 1 is 100% let within ten months of its completion is testimony to the quality of office space it offers. Having worked with inward investors and Invest NI we have tailored the design of the building to ensure it meets the needs of modern global businesses which want to base themselves in Belfast.
“A £20m, 124,000 sq ft sister office is currently due for completion in mid-2017 and the Harbour is already pursuing a number of significant, potential lettings.”
In 2015 BRS Golf expanded by acquiring Teeofftimes.co.uk, the UK’s most popular online tee-time booking service with 1,900 golf clubs and more than 300,000 regular bookers. As a result the company has expanded all areas of the business to match the growing demand for its products and services. It currently employs 72 people with plans to grow further.
Brian Smith, BRS Golf’s Vice President of Sales and Operations, said:
“In the last two years we’ve grown from 20 to 72 team members and we expect to be at 100 by the end of 2016. As a result we have outgrown our current office in Ormeau Avenue. City Quay’s is a fantastic location and will create a great environment for our team.
“Our new office will accommodate 140 staff, including a golf simulator, a putting green and multiple breakout areas. Our plan is to move in during August 2016 – we can’t wait!”
Ian Duddy of Colliers International, who acted for a second time on behalf of BRS Golf in Belfast, said:
“City Quay’s 1 provides the ideal property solution for the modern office occupier. Belfast Harbour has listened to the occupier market and produced a product that is reflective of what FDI occupiers want”.
City Quays is a 20-acre office-led scheme funded and developed by Belfast Harbour. It will provide two million sq ft of space in total, including 820,000 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation together with residential and retail elements.
In March, Belfast City Council awarded planning permission for a 188-bedroom hotel, also part of City Quays. Due to open in 2017, Belfast Harbour is now in a position to appoint a contractor and formalise agreements with a brand and franchise operator for the hotel.
