Carlyle Group hails Tanfield office expansion by FNZ financial services

By PETER RANSCOMBE
Published on 27/01/2013 00:00

FNZ, the fast-growing financial services technology outfit, is taking extra space in an ­Edinburgh office block after growing its assets under ­administration.

The company, which makes “wrap platforms” that allow asset managers to see all of their clients’ investments ­together on one computer screen, relocated from New Zealand to Scotland in 2005 after winning a £35 million contract from Standard Life. Now the firm is taking extra space at Tanfield, the offices in a former Standard Life site owned by Nasdaq-listed ­Carlyle Group, as it consolidates its Edinburgh operations on to a single base.

FNZ, which began moving into the development in 2011, has rented an extra 8,500 square feet, taking its total ­office space to 25,800sq ft. The firm sealed a major deal with insurer Aviva last year.

Carlyle has also signed up engineering company Alstom to lease nearly 6,800sq ft at Tanfield, which – together with the FNZ deal – takes the site’s occupancy rate from 45 per cent to 55 per cent.

The office complex already hosts New York-listed support services outfit Aecom, banking software firm Avaloq, Aim-quoted hospital billing software firm Craneware and thetrainline.com booking website.

Mark Harris, managing director at Carlyle, said: “These two lettings demonstrate the attractiveness of Tanfield. The scheme now contains an impressive selection of occupiers across a range of industries.”

Tanfield hosted the first “general assembly” meeting of the Free Church of Scotland, following the 1843 disruption.