Handelsbanken moves to former Ipswich nightclub site

Swedish bank Handelsbanken will vacate its current premises in Grafton House, Russell Road, to take up residence "in due course" in a three floor unit at The Kiln, The Maltings in Princes Street. It will also be expanding its workforce.

The grade A offices at the 200-year-old maltings building were developed by Pertwee Estates but used to house the Hollywood nightclub before the site was relaunched in 2019 following a multi-million conversion. 

The warehouse-style conversion scooped an Award of Distinction from the Ipswich Society and the site is now home to a number of businesses including Network Rail.

Handelsbanken has signed up for a 10-year lease on the refurbished space measuring nearly 3,000sq ft with open staircases and direct access to a central atrium with views of the River Orwell.

Handelsbanken's Ipswich branch manager Martin Fish said: “We are delighted to have secured this fantastic new office space.

"This is a significant investment, which will house a much larger Handelsbanken team on one premium site, allowing us to better serve our customer base.

“We were attracted by the quality and sustainable aspects of The Maltings and the location, which is close to the railway station and has excellent parking options.

"We look forward to being able to welcome customers to our new premises in due course.”

The bank operates a network of branches across UK - as well in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.

Robin Cousins, associate at estate agents Penn Commercial, said: “The relocation of Handelsbanken is an encouraging and ambitious move, which really adds to the mix of high-quality tenants in such a prominent building in our town centre.

“Transactions such as this serve to show that there is still a market for inspirational, well-curated office space in the post-Covid world.”