At Farrer and Fenwick, we want to make all removals a stress free experience and help clients to achieve a smooth business transition.
Business removals advice is dependent on each unique circumstance, although there are a few steps which tend to be common to most. A schedule of suggestions is given below, or you are welcome to help yourself to a copy from the button:
Planning in Advance
- Make a decision on dates as early as possible, bearing in mind your business cycle, staff availability, holidays.
- Identify external suppliers, obtain quotations and book in advance, including a removals company.
- Arrange changeover of all utilities, including phone and broadband, allowing an overlap.
- Ensure all required insurance will be in place for the new premises.
- Order new stationery and if you use an external web company, arrange to have website details amended at the right time.
- They may also help with changing other references on the web. If not, search thoroughly on name, address and phone number, then contact the relevant websites.
- Notify your customers and suppliers of your change of address.
- Organise redirection with Royal Mail and any other delivery services.
- Create health and safety documentation for the new premises, along with a fire plan and assembly areas.
- A detailed layout plan for the new premises will be valuable, including stock, or machinery placement, where people will be located.
- If new machinery, or equipment will be required, order this in ample time.
Current Premises
- Organise storage crates and boxes in advance, your removals company should help. Allow boxes for personal items and desk contents.
- Items will turn up not needing to be moved. Decide whether a skip should be arranged.
- Consider whether you need specialist recycling containers, or ways to securely dispose of files, or old IT equipment.
- Pack your stock and ancillary items. Good labelling really helps, your removals company may be organising this.
- Furniture and equipment needing to be disassembled also benefits from parts labelling, notes and ample images of different stages.
- When the day to move arrives, arrange for skips to be removed and your premises to be cleaned.
New Premises
- Ensure all advance tasks will be complete before your move. Building work and fitting out, flooring, cabling.
- Delivery and unpacking of furniture, equipment and stock can then commence. A logical order may matter and tends to be dictated by your business.
- Similar will apply to any new equipment ordered, to meld in with existing items. Organise accurate delivery times for this.
- Reassembly of items against your layout plan comes next, along with unpacking of personal effects, people starting to feel they belong.
- Make sure staff have correct contact details for the new premises, know any procedural changes and all they need to be aware of for their safety.
- Once ready for operations, test everything, including phones, IT equipment and networks, lighting and power points.
- Follow this with an inspection of the building and in both cases, arrange for external support with snags if needed.
- We hope there are not many to deal with and above all, wish you a successful future in your new business premises.
