How to Handle a Business Move to a New Premises

Moving from one business premise to another is a big challenge, especially when the company has grown considerably. Even for smaller businesses and startups, going from one property to another takes time and planning.

Every move can also have its own set of challenges and difficulties. Sometimes, it takes a sizeable team to move over to another property with as few problems as possible. Issues are to be expected, so it’s something to acknowledge before making a move. 

Whether you’re part of the team managing the move, or you’re the owner, here are some tips to handle a business move to new premises.

Set a budget 

To help manage the sheer expense of having to move from one location to another, set a budget. Not every business is going to have deep and limitless pockets, so it’s important to spend time budgeting and understanding the costs involved in general. 

Setting a budget is going to help too much overspending and can help to allocate where the money needs to go, with some needing more money than other areas. For smaller businesses, there may only be so much to move on so it may need to be reconsidered for a later date.

Sometimes though, the move can’t be delayed any longer and sometimes a little debt is needed in the short term in order to benefit the business in the long run.

Scout out the right property

Scouting out properties is important because the business premises you may be moving from may be too small or alternatively too big.

Every property location is different too in its potential footfall, which may or may not be important for your business. Consider the new location and how easier or more difficult it might become for certain staff members to get to.

Looking for properties might take time, so it’s important to explore the market and get assistance with finding the right properties to bid on. Whether you’re buying outright or getting a contract on the location, it’s important to take your time and find the right place.

It may be that the new location needs a few design changes. Whether that’s installing structural mezzanines to knocking down walls for open-plan working, make sure the location works.

Look to declutter and downsize company belongings

Decluttering, just like for residential properties, is a good thing to do for a company too. The amount of clutter that often comes into a company building is staggering and every space in the company premises is likely to be hiding a few broken items or damaged equipment that’s no longer needed.

Try to declutter and downsize any company belongings before you move. The last thing the business wants to deal with is carrying over more equipment and belongings, spending more money to then needing to declutter in new premises.

Have a cooling period from one property to the other

To help with the moving process, have a cooling period between one property and the other. Try to make the older property available for a certain period after the move has been made. That way, any employees who missed the move can move any remaining belongings over. 

At the same time, the moving day may not go to plan and some items may have been left behind. It helps then to have some time remaining to reorganize a smaller moving day to get the rest transferred over.

Send notice for change of address to all suppliers and clients

To help with the ease of moving for business correspondence, make sure a notice for change of address has been sent to all suppliers and clients. There is also the option to have this set up with all mail providers to ensure that any mail going to the old address, goes to the new address accordingly.

For this type of admin, it’s good to band together departments to ensure every supplier and client is being notified of the change.

Take time to unload and unpack

Every move is a big one, regardless of the size and so it takes time to unload and unpack everything. Take the time needed to ensure it all is done efficiently and with the utmost care, especially with the expensive equipment involved.

Make sure you get all your employees on board to help out with the pack down and the setup in the new property.

Handling a business move isn’t easy by any means so make sure it’s planned out well and that preparation is made for it to go as smoothly as possible.

Photo by Anastasiia Krutota on Unsplash

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