‘Blockbuster’ 280,000 sq ft Grade A office pre-let at Haymarket Edinburgh

Situation

Edinburgh-based commercial and residential property developer Qmile Group has been a Brand8 PR client since 2010.

We were tasked with leading on the announcement that Qmile Group and fund manager M&G Real Estate had secured a 20-year pre-let of 280,000 sq ft of Grade A office space to independent investment partnership Baillie Gifford at the £350m Haymarket Edinburgh development.

Response

We planned and coordinated a programme of traditional and digital media relations activity following extensive liaison with senior stakeholders at Qmile Group, M&G Real Estate and Baillie Gifford.

The high-profile nature of the pre-let agreement meant that it had to be treated in strictest confidence and released to ensure that internal communications activity had been completed.

Results

• More than 30 pieces of positive media coverage containing ley messages about Haymarket Edinburgh in national and property trade media, including the pre-letting being described as a ‘blockbuster’ by property trade publication CoStar
• A 60 per cent uplift in users to the Qmile Group website in the days following the announcement
• An ongoing increase in levels of interest for the remaining commercial, leisure and retail space from perspective occupiers