STELLAR growth IT services firm Kainos has devised draft plans for a lavish new £40 million headquarters building at the site of the Movie House in Belfast's Bankmore Square.
The company, which has outgrown its existing base in the south of the city, has tendered a proposal of application notice to Belfast City Council for the development of the new base, which will provide 150 jobs during the construction phase.
It marks the beginning of pre-application community consultation, which will include a public exhibition in the Clayton Hotel on Wednesday April 1 ahead of a major application being submitted later this year.
Kainos, which bought the building for £7 million a year ago, says creating a modern and innovative workplace will allow it to relocate its existing Belfast based workforce of more than 700 people to a single central location.
At present its teams work across multiple office spaces across south Belfast including Upper Crescent and Mount Charles in Queen’s Quarter and Ascot House on Shaftesbury Square.
Kainos, which has been recruiting intensely in recent years, believes the new office building will play a key role in accommodating its current and future growth requirements.
Indeed the business, which began operations in Belfast in 1986, is currently recruiting for more than 40 roles spanning a range of technical and non-technical, experienced and entry-level positions.
Chief executive Brendan Mooney said: “We're delighted to announce the start of an exciting new phase of our growth in Northern Ireland, where we will be able to centralise all of our Belfast team members under one roof.
“Kainos is committed to providing exceptional careers and working conditions, and the development of new contemporary offices will ensure we maintain these standards.”
The decision to locate its new HQ to Dublin Road was based on a number of factors, principally minimising disruption for staff travelling to the city and allowing them to benefit from sustainable modes of transport, including the rail and bus links at the proposed Belfast Transport Hub at Weavers Cross.
Mr Mooney continued: “We are extremely proud of our people, who are central to everything we do and vital to our success, and we want to provide them with a terrific working experience and that includes contributing to a comfortable commute. We believe this prime spot on Dublin Road will benefit our existing and future talent in this regard.”
The proposed development involves demolishing the existing Bankmore Square structure and constructing a new state-of-the-art office space in project worth in excess of £40 million.
Philip Stinson, director at the project’s planning consultancy Turley, said: “Kainos has become a leading example for providing best-in-class employment experiences and the proposed development of a modern workplace will help it continue to attract top talent and sustain its growth ambitions. We look forward to the community consultation ahead of submitting the planning application.”
Last month Kainos acquired two businesses in England and Germany after a six month period in which its revenue grew by almost one third and it recruited 232 people.
That came on the back of recent office openings in Paris and Toronto, and the company now employs 1,562 people across 12 locations in Europe and North America.
