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Project
Interflora
A historic building becomes a modern HQ, supporting Interflora’s boldest reinvention in 100 years
UK Midlands
10,000
sqft
Office Space
A historic building becomes a modern HQ, supporting Interflora’s boldest reinvention in 100 years
UK Midlands
10,000
sqft
Office Space
Outcomes
Challenge
People
Improved pride, enjoyment, well-being and the ability to share ideas, creating a magnet to attract new talent.
Insight
Place
As landlords, Interflora’s asset value improved.
Solution
Planet
A 5,000 sq ft reduction in space has significantly decreased annual CO2e.
Improved pride, enjoyment, well-being and the ability to share ideas, creating a magnet to attract new talent.
As landlords, Interflora’s asset value improved.
A 5,000 sq ft reduction in space has significantly decreased annual CO2e.
No items found.
A historic building becomes a modern HQ, supporting Interflora’s boldest reinvention in 100 years.
Creating a workplace where office blooms
Turning a new leaf
Interflora’s team has been creating special moments of connection through handcrafted blooms and gifts for over 100 years.
But in a fiercely competitive market, consumer feedback indicated that Interflora was becoming outdated and getting lost in the sea of sameness. It was time to undertake its boldest reinvention to date. This meant investing in new talent and technology, pivoting the business towards a younger audience, and modernising its end-to-end service.
We worked closely with Interflora and its parent company from strategy and design to fit-out and activation. Interflora’s Sleaford HQ has evolved from a traditional workplace reliant on telephone orders to a highly connected environment that supports its digital transformation, new hybrid working model and a range of workplace activities.
This new vibrant hub reflects everything that Interflora and its sister brand, Flying Flowers, stand for – moments of connection, celebration, and community.
Planting the seeds of success
We established early on that this was fundamentally a people project. Despite the overall challenges regarding space and size, it would be people’s behaviours and their acceptance of the workplace that would define its success.
By gathering data and information through surveys, interviews and site visits, we got to understand Interflora’s brand essence, long-term business strategy and how its future office could better support employees’ well-being, work activities and processes.
Historically, the space had to accommodate hundreds of staff taking telephone orders and communicating with customers and suppliers in a more traditional way. However, the organisation has undergone a digital transformation, transitioning into predominantly e-commerce. This has changed the relationship between Interflora and its customers, and the connection between departments.
Our discovery phase helped determine the different roles, tasks and work patterns of Interflora’s employees. The workplace is occupied by several departments, including sales, marketing, technology and e-commerce, as well as a number of support functions. The new office had to not only consider the diverse needs across the workforce but also represent the entire organisation, including Interflora’s other brand, Flying Flowers.
Getting a whole bunch of people on the same page
Throughout the consultancy period, we held vision workshops to share data and insights, and align the leadership team. Before moving to the design and fit-out stage, we also needed approval from Interflora’s parent company. Outlining the cost and the benefits of turning three floors into two helped gain board approval.
Together, we agreed on headline objectives, which meant putting sustainability, productivity, well-being and employee/visitor experience at the forefront of design.
Navigating the thorny challenges of a traditional building
As we were working with an old building, there were a number of challenges around lighting, sound, ventilation and listed features. We worked together to carefully address the issues and came up with opening up the whole floor plate to maximise the space and allow light to flow through the building.
Sian Fell, Director of Human Resources and Facilities at Interflora, said: “From the outset, TSK really understood what we were trying to achieve in creating a space that would allow us to operate in our new vision of hybrid working with the building being a key contributing factor to making hybrid working a success for us – ensuring that our people could come together to collaborate, communicate, share ideas, learn from each other and of course, have some fun.
A future-proof workspace with room to grow
Interflora now has an incredible hub that inspires its entire brand while nurturing the health and well-being of the people working there. It supports hybrid working and moments that matter – socialising, collaborating and celebrations.
The unified and cohesive aesthetic incorporates both Interflora’s and Flying Flowers’ colour palettes. By opening up the front of the building, people walking through the heart of Sleaford can, for the first time, see Interflora and get a feel of the energy and vibrancy inside.
Interflora’s new full flower show suite means the team can hold workshops with their florists and display products, offering an impressive and welcoming visitor experience. The ground floor, with its amphitheatre, library, retreat areas and multi-functional spaces, operates as a social heart for collaboration, relaxation, meetings and learning.
“We absolutely love working in our newly remodelled home and are extremely proud to showcase it to our customers, suppliers and partners – even the people of Sleaford that pass by the windows now get to see the energy coming from the new Interflora House.”
Sian Fell, Director of Human Resources and Facilities at Interflora
The first floor has flexible desks, breakout areas and a well-being room. The spine in the centre of the floor plate is designed to support innovation and connection. By implementing better workplace technology throughout, employees can now connect to anyone, anywhere.
Creating a more sustainable, resilient and flexible office for the future was a key consideration for this project. The new design means Interflora now occupies two-thirds of the space it had previously, which has reduced its carbon footprint. The building has also been assessed for greater energy efficiency, resulting in the installation of a brand-new air cooling and heating system.
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