Newport-based office furniture manufacturer Bisley has signed a new contract with Google to develop bespoke work spaces for the Googleplex headquarters in California. The Welsh firm will supply custom-made furniture to the tech giant’s campus in Mountain View as part of the project which is in the consultation phase.
It is the latest big-name brand to sign up to Bisley’s new service which offers interior design solutions to workspaces around the world such as corporate office spaces, hospitals and hotels.
Other clients include Al Ain Hospital near Abu Dhabi and the Swiss Government, who ordered thousands of custom-designed Bisley lockers for a Ukrainian refugee camp on the Swiss-Poland border. It also designed tailored bedroom furniture for the Tŷ Hotel in Milford Haven.
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Bisley lead designer Chris Fowler said: “Since we started doing bespoke assignments we have seen exponential growth in this area, with more and more companies and organisations commissioning us for customised projects.
“It has become such a significant part of our offering that we are now launching it as an official service, available to commercial organisations who have specific requirements for a space, or are looking for a really individual aesthetic.”
Technical manager Sam Ostrolenk said: “Bisley’s work in the office sector has evolved so much in recent years. The onset of the pandemic really levelled up our product offering, which has become far more extensive. For example, we’ve seen huge levels of growth in our locker products.
“Previously, this was a relatively small element of our business, but now with many organisations operating on a hybrid basis and changing work patterns, lockers are experiencing a real boom moment, and often require bespoke solutions to suit the needs of the workspace.
"This isn’t simply a case of a company ordering a hundred steel lockers and lining them up against a wall in a basement - our lockers are being designed down to the smallest details. Think internal filtration systems and smart locks and they are being fully integrated into the office landscape by architects and interior designers.”
In recent years, the company has diversified by designing products for both the home and office, significantly expanding its e-commerce offering and establishing a new partnership with John Lewis.
Last November, the Welsh firm gifted its employees over half of shares in the company as part of succession plans.
Company owner and chairman Anthony Brown established an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) allowing 51% of company shares to be indirectly owned by Bisley's 500 employees based in its global offices in Newport, Dubai, New York, Paris, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland.
The remaining 49% of shares will be owned by Mr Brown and a few small minority shareholders.
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