An office move is very different from moving house. Desks and chairs are only one part of the job. Your business may also need to relocate computers, servers, files, specialist equipment, stock and furniture while keeping staff informed and maintaining service for customers. For businesses planning office removals in Nottingham, the key is to treat the relocation as a managed business project from the outset. The earlier you establish what needs to move, who is responsible and how much downtime you can accept, the easier it becomes to build a practical relocation plan.
Doree Bonner International provides office relocation services for businesses across Nottingham and the wider UK. Its commercial relocation work covers offices as well as factories, healthcare facilities, libraries, museums, schools, colleges and universities. Services can include project management, professional packing, IT relocation, furniture dismantling and reassembly, specialist equipment transfers, ethical recycling and commercial storage.
This guide explains how Nottingham businesses can prepare for an office move and some of the issues that are easy to overlook.
Start planning your Nottingham office relocation early
One of the biggest mistakes a business can make is treating the physical removal as something to organise near the end of the relocation process.
By that stage, decisions may already have been made about leases, fit-out work, IT installation and staff working arrangements.
Instead, start planning the physical move alongside the wider relocation.
Appoint an internal move manager or project team with authority to make decisions. Depending on the size of your business, this might include representatives from:
- Senior management
- Facilities
- IT
- HR
- Finance
- Health and safety
- Department managers
- Your professional removals provider
Your internal move manager should act as the main point of contact between the business and your removals project manager.
At the beginning of the process, establish the basic objectives. When must the existing premises be vacated? When can you access the new office? Which departments need to remain operational? What level of downtime can the business accept?
These answers will shape the removal plan.
Create a detailed office inventory
Before asking a removal company to move your business, you need to understand exactly what is being moved.
A detailed inventory is a useful starting point.
This could include office desks and chairs, meeting-room furniture, filing cabinets, storage units, computers and monitors, printers, servers, telephones, specialist machinery or equipment, archived files, marketing materials and stock.
Don’t automatically assume everything in your existing Nottingham office needs to go to the new one.
A relocation is a useful opportunity to identify furniture, equipment and paperwork the business no longer requires.
Ask each department to review what it currently holds and categorise items as:
Move, store, retain temporarily, recycle or dispose of.
Doing this before quotations and detailed planning begin can provide a more accurate picture of the volume involved.
It can also reduce the time and resources spent moving equipment that the business subsequently decides it doesn’t need.
Doree Bonner’s commercial relocation service can also support businesses with surplus furniture, fixtures and equipment. Its specialist services include dismantling items into component parts and working with waste management partners on recycling and ethical disposal.
Survey both Nottingham premises
Good office removals planning isn’t only about what you own. It is also about the buildings you are moving from and into.
A site survey should identify practical issues that could affect the move.
At your existing office, consider vehicle access, loading restrictions, stairs, lifts, corridors, door widths, security arrangements and the times during which removal work is permitted.
Then repeat the process at the new premises.
If your business is moving into central Nottingham, for example, loading and parking arrangements may require more planning than a business park with dedicated vehicle access.
If you are still comparing possible locations, our Nottingham property market guide may provide useful context on the wider local property landscape.
Speak to the building owner or facilities manager about:
Loading bays: Can they be reserved?
Lifts: Is there a goods lift and does it need to be booked?
Access: Can removal teams enter outside normal office hours?
Security: How will removal staff and vehicles gain access?
Parking: Are permits or other arrangements required?
Building protection: Are there requirements for protecting lifts, floors or communal areas?
These details may appear relatively minor, but they can have a direct effect on the time and resources required.
Doree Bonner’s office relocation project management process includes site risk assessments, RAMS, move security audits and development of a move plan and resource schedules.
Plan how you will minimise business downtime
The cost of an office relocation isn’t limited to the removals invoice.
Time when staff cannot work, customers cannot reach you or key systems are unavailable can have a much greater commercial impact.
This is why downtime should be treated as part of the relocation plan.
Doree Bonner’s own office relocation cost guidance identifies downtime and business impact as factors businesses should consider alongside the physical cost of the move.
Start by identifying your business-critical functions.
For example, a professional services firm may need its telephone, email and client-management systems available quickly. A warehouse operation may prioritise stock and dispatch systems. Another business may need a customer-facing department operational throughout the relocation.
Once you understand these priorities, you can plan the order in which departments and equipment move.
Would a phased office move work better?
You don’t necessarily need to move your entire Nottingham business at once.
A phased relocation can work well for larger organisations or businesses that need to maintain continuous operations.
For example, one department could relocate first and become operational before the next moves. Alternatively, non-essential furniture and files could be moved in advance, leaving only critical workstations and equipment for the final stage.
The right approach depends on the size and structure of your business.
A phased move may take longer overall, but it can help reduce the amount of time that the whole organisation is affected simultaneously.
This is one reason Doree Bonner develops an individual move plan and resource schedule for commercial relocations rather than treating every business move in the same way.
Give IT its own relocation plan
IT deserves particular attention during an office move.
Moving computers isn’t simply a case of putting monitors and PCs into boxes.
You need to know which equipment belongs to which employee, where it needs to be positioned at the new office and what needs to happen before staff can begin working again.
Servers, network equipment, telephones and other technology may require specialist handling.
Your IT team or provider should also establish when systems will be disconnected, how data will be protected, when equipment will arrive and who is responsible for recommissioning and testing it.
Doree Bonner works with clients and specialist partners on IT relocation strategies. Its listed IT services include IT packing, asset management, desktop transfer, decommissioning and recommissioning, power and data installation, remote-working support and server migration.
The aim should be simple: when an employee arrives at their new workstation, the equipment they need should be there and ready for the appropriate technical team to make operational.
Use an asset numbering and labelling system
Good labelling can save a substantial amount of time at the destination.
Giving every desk or chair a vague label such as “Accounts” may not provide enough information when several workstations are being installed.
Instead, develop a consistent coding system.
For example:
Floor → Department → Workstation
A label such as:
F2 / ACC / WS14
could tell the move team that an item belongs on Floor 2, in Accounts, at Workstation 14.
Apply the same logic to cartons, furniture and IT equipment where appropriate.
A floor plan of the new premises can then use corresponding codes.
This gives the relocation team a clear destination for each labelled item rather than relying on someone to direct every desk, box and chair as it arrives.
Think carefully about files and confidential information
Many organisations have reduced their paper records, but businesses can still hold substantial quantities of files.
Some may contain commercially sensitive, confidential or personal information.
Don’t treat these like ordinary office stationery.
Identify which records need to move, which should be archived and which have reached the end of the organisation’s retention period and can be securely destroyed in line with your own policies and legal obligations.
Access to confidential material should also form part of the move’s security planning.
Doree Bonner offers commercial warehousing and document archive storage, including shelved archive containers and racking systems for file storage. Storage can be provided on a weekly, monthly or longer-term basis.
This can be useful if your new Nottingham office has less archive space or you simply don’t need older records taking up valuable working space.
Professional packing for an office relocation
Office packing needs organisation as well as physical protection.
If employees pack their own work areas without a consistent system, you can arrive at the new office with poorly labelled boxes and no clear idea where anything belongs.
A professional packing service can be incorporated into the relocation plan.
Doree Bonner’s commercial teams can support the packing of office contents, while specialist packing and crating teams are available for projects requiring additional protection.
The packing schedule should also reflect business priorities.
Items that need to be available until the final working day should be packed last. Items that are required immediately at the new premises should be identified so they can be prioritised during delivery and setup.
Think of the process as a sequence rather than simply “packing the office”.
Don’t forget office furniture
Desks and storage systems can be surprisingly complicated to move.
Modern workstation systems may need dismantling before transport and reassembly at the new office. Monitor arms, cable management and power arrangements also need consideration.
Doree Bonner’s specialist office relocation services include desk dismantling and reassembly, cable and power management, monitor-arm fitting and the dismantling of storage and mobile racking. The company also provides specialist handling for items such as safes and fireproof cabinets.
Before moving everything, check the floor plan of your new premises.
There is little point dismantling, transporting and rebuilding 60 desks if the new office layout only accommodates 45 of them.
Communicate the move clearly to your employees
Staff communication is an important part of an office relocation.
Employees need practical information rather than a constant stream of updates.
Tell them:
- The date of the move
- When their existing workspace needs to be ready
- What they are responsible for packing
- What the professional packing team will handle
- How personal belongings should be managed
- Their new workstation or department location
- When they should report to the new premises
- Any temporary remote-working arrangements
- Who they should contact with questions
Department managers should also understand their responsibilities.
Doree Bonner’s project management process can include planning meetings with customer staff and team briefings covering the operational move plan and individual responsibilities.
Clear instructions reduce confusion and help prevent every question being directed to the project manager during the final days.
Could commercial storage help?
The contents of your old office don’t always need to arrive at the new premises immediately.
You may be waiting for refurbishment or fit-out work to finish. New furniture could be arriving at a different time. You may have archive material you need to retain but don’t want to accommodate in the new office.
This is where storage solutions can form part of the office relocation.
Doree Bonner states that it has more than 120,000 square feet of purpose-built warehousing across its UK sites, with commercial storage available for weekly, monthly and longer-term requirements.
Its storage service uses containerised storage, with security and CCTV.
For Nottingham businesses, storage can therefore be planned alongside the removal rather than sourced separately when a problem occurs.
Prepare the new Nottingham office before moving day
Before the removal vehicles arrive, check that the destination is actually ready.
Internet connections, power, desks, meeting areas and staff facilities should all be considered before employees return.
Walk through the building using your move plan.
Check that workstation numbers correspond with the floor plan and that the relocation team knows where furniture, IT equipment and cartons need to go.
You should also establish an order of priority.
For example:
Priority 1: IT and network infrastructure
Priority 2: Business-critical departments
Priority 3: General workstations
Priority 4: Meeting and communal areas
Priority 5: Non-essential files and stored items
Your priorities may be completely different, but agreeing them before moving day gives everyone the same plan.
Test before declaring the relocation complete
The last removal vehicle leaving doesn’t mean the project is finished.
Test the new working environment.
Can staff log in? Are telephones working? Can printers connect? Is key equipment operational? Are meeting rooms usable? Has furniture been positioned correctly?
Department managers should check their areas and report issues through one central contact rather than approaching individual members of the removals team.
It is also worth checking the old premises after the move to identify anything left behind and confirm what remains to be removed, stored, recycled or disposed of.
Why use a professional office removals company in Nottingham?
A business relocation involves multiple dependencies.
Your staff, IT, furniture, buildings, suppliers, security arrangements and operating hours all have to work around the same timetable.
A professional commercial removals company should therefore provide much more than vehicles and labour.
Doree Bonner International’s office relocation service includes project management, development of move plans and resource schedules, security audits, risk assessments and RAMS, staff briefings and operational delivery.
Its commercial services also cover IT relocation, specialist equipment transfers, furniture dismantling and reassembly, professional packing, commercial storage and archive storage.
Doree Bonner is also a member of the British Association of Removers, and its commercial move teams are trained and DBS checked.
Local office removals in Nottingham
Having a local operation can also help when planning a Nottingham business relocation.
Doree Bonner International has a Nottingham branch at:
1 Christopher Court
Watnall Road
Hucknall
Nottingham
NG15 6EP
The Nottingham branch is part of Doree Bonner’s wider UK network, giving businesses access to local support alongside the resources required for relocations elsewhere in the country.
This is useful for a company moving between two Nottingham premises, but it also supports businesses relocating into or out of Nottingham.
Businesses relocating staff or operations from elsewhere in the UK may also find Doree Bonner’s guide to moving to Nottingham helpful when planning the wider transition.
Office relocation checklist
Before confirming your moving date, make sure you have addressed the following:
- Appoint an internal move manager.
- Agree the relocation objectives, budget and acceptable downtime.
- Create an inventory of furniture, IT, equipment and files.
- Decide what will move, be stored, recycled or disposed of.
- Survey the existing and new premises.
- Confirm loading, parking, lifts and building access.
- Create a detailed move schedule.
- Develop a separate IT migration plan.
- Introduce a clear labelling and asset-numbering system.
- Plan professional packing and specialist equipment handling.
- Decide if the relocation should happen in phases.
- Communicate responsibilities and timings to employees.
- Arrange storage for anything that doesn’t need to move immediately.
- Prepare and check the new office before relocation begins.
- Test IT, telephones, equipment and workstations before returning to normal operations.
Planning office removals in Nottingham?
The most effective office removals in Nottingham start well before the first desk is dismantled. A clear inventory, realistic timetable, detailed IT plan, consistent labelling system and good communication with employees can reduce disruption and help your business return to normal operation sooner.
Doree Bonner International can support Nottingham businesses with project-managed removals, professional packing, packing solutions, IT relocation, specialist equipment handling and storage solutions, with the service planned around the requirements of your organisation.
You can request a free office relocation quote or contact Doree Bonner International 24/7 to discuss your Nottingham office relocation with the team.
