Cooke & Arkwright’s Business Space team acquired the property on behalf of Incopro, which has taken a lease. Its Building Consultancy provided a pre-acquisition survey.
The restoration work was led by Downs Merrifield Architects, supported by a project team of RPA and Imium.
Incopro first opened a Welsh office in Caerphilly in 2017 with just three people, but has moved to the new Cardiff offices with a further 50 people and is recruiting a further 25 before the end of 2019. The firm is working with support from the Welsh Government to invest in local tech jobs. It uses big data and machine learning/AI technology to protect many of the world’s leading brands online.
Economy Minister Ken Skates said, “Incopro provides a vital service to leading brands across the world, protecting them from increasingly sophisticated criminal enterprises using cutting edge technological innovation. I am delighted we have been able to provide support for their ambitious growth plans, which will see this exciting company create jobs for more highly skilled professionals here in Wales.”
Simon Baggs, CEO at Incopro commented, “The language, data analysis and software engineering skills of the people we have been able to hire in Cardiff has exceeded our expectations. Cardiff is our focus for expansion in the next 12 months as we extend our global service. We are proud to have given new life to a previously abandoned historic building with real character for our new offices, right in the city centre, giving our people a fantastic working environment in which they will thrive.
“The Welsh Government’s support was instrumental in our initial choice of Wales. The global business climate is challenging but our talented team in Cardiff contributes massively to the great service we offer our global brand customers and our continued expansion.”
Mark Siddons, Senior Surveyor with Cooke & Arkwright’s Business Space team said, “It’s great to see new life being breathed into the first floor of this iconic building following the conversion from A3 leisure to office use.
“The Hayes is a well known landmark within Cardiff and this property has lots of character and history. We are sure Incopro will benefit from occupying such a high profile city centre location.”
Incopro is a rapidly growing company and also has offices in London, Los Angeles, Idaho and Shanghai, along with operations throughout North America and Europe.