Case study > Handelsbanken

Value-engineered furniture at Handelsbanken, Manchester

After an extremely competitive tender process, which involved seven other companies, we were pleased to be chosen as the furniture partner for the new Handelsbanken as it moved into larger premises at Barbirolli Square. We were excited to be involved in the transformation of the new Manchester offices, which provided room for growth of its UK functions and also a base for its Northern Regional Office.

  • Project type

    Furniture

  • Date

    December 2018 & March 2019

  • Sectors

    Finance

Following a scheme designed by strategic creative consultancy, Strive, our brief was to supply furniture which aligned with their specification but also provided value-engineered solutions for the customer. We were called upon to put forward products which were high-performance but also sensitive to a strict budget. The style, fabric and finishes of the furniture also needed to challenge the stereotype of uninspiring banking offices and instead, reflect a brand which is forward-thinking and modern.

“Following the tender process, we are confident that we made the right decision in choosing Penketh Group as our furniture partner. The team were fantastic in recommending products which added value for Handelsbanken but also enabled us to create a modern, multifunctional space which our staff are excited to be working in. With the help of Penketh Group, we have broken the tradition of dull banking offices and are pleased to have just recently worked with them again on a secondary scheme.”

Richard Hammond, Head of UK Office Services Handelsbanken

We recommended cost-saving products for a number of spaces across the four floors including:

Boardrooms

As part of the boardroom design process, we invited the customer to our Manchester showroom to view the Orangebox Lano table (pictured bottom right). After discussing its benefits and experiencing the product first hand, this table was selected for all boardrooms. In order to maintain a unique identity for each boardroom, we opted for different finishes including Walnut and Oak.

Meeting rooms

Our brief for a number of the customer’s meeting rooms was to incorporate larger tables with integrated power to improve usability and productivity. We selected the Mega Ped table by Naughtone which offers discreet, recessed power and an ergonomic pedestal stem to comfortably accommodate multiple users.

For other meeting rooms, we introduced flip top tables in order to make the space more adaptable and more easily adjusted according to requirement.

Training Area

When gathering information about what the customer wanted for their Training Area, we ascertained that access to power was a top priority. We selected a Steelcase FlipTop table with integrated power to make the work setting more flexible and multifunctional, while still meeting the initial brief.

Following the customer’s visit to our showroom, we also agreed to incorporate the Ocee Design HARC sofa into the Training Area to introduce a softer interior design element and the perfect place to breakout.

Other products included as part of the overall furniture scheme included:

  • Steelcase Migration height-adjustable bench desking system across the entire office
  • Steelcase Think chair for its progressive and intuitive properties at an affordable price point
  • Connections Rooms for a semi-shielded meeting space with integrated tech (pictured top right)
  • Bespoke Axiom storage units in the kitchen and lounge area which is a nod towards the minimalist Scandi design trend
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