Deployus joins rush for Brisbane IT footprint

Strong growth in the IT sector is fuelling a flurry of activity in Brisbane’s office market, with firms capitalising on the current environment to upgrade their premises.

Brisbane-based IT services provider Deployus has secured a 384sqm suite on the ground floor of 725 Ann St, in Fortitude Valley, to accommodate its growing operations.

CBRE’s Michael Skarparis and Mel Pikos, in conjunction with Chase Commercials’ James Haining, negotiated the three-year lease deal for $214,000 annually, including eight on-site car parks.

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Skarparis says the 725 Ann St property is well suited to support Deployus’ continued business growth and follows a six-month search, as its current premises in the West End is about to be redeveloped.

“Deployus has been organically growing and this property presented an outstanding opportunity to upgrade its office in terms of quality and also reduce overall costs in the process,” he says.

Deployus has taken out a lease at 725 Ann St in Fortitude Valley.

“Furthermore, this property positions Deployus in a highly exposed location in close proximity to public transport for its staff.”

The deal follows a wave of activity in Brisbane’s IT sector, which is emerging as one of the most active sectors of Brisbane’s office market, driving new activity across the city, particularly in the near-city pockets of Fortitude Valley and Newstead.

This property presented an outstanding opportunity to upgrade its office in terms of quality and also reduce overall costs in the process

Skarparis says although still a relatively small component of the tenancy mix in Brisbane’s office market, the IT and technology sector is one of the fastest-growing industries and will become a major occupier in the Brisbane market.

“The state and federal governments are really putting an emphasis on funding and creating incubator or co-working environments for entrepreneurs to really thrive in, which is further driving demand in the character market,” he says.

iPhone app creator Halfbrick Studios moved Brisbane’s former Sunny Queen Eggs site.

Most notaby, HR software solutions provider ConnX will relocate its Brisbane offices to Milton after leasing a 585sqm office at 303 Coronation Drive from the Bachrach Naumburger Group.

ConnX will pay an annual rent of $300,000 for the property on Level 8 for five years, along with 12 on-site car parks.

This follows last year’s trend when Brisbane emerged as a hub for computer game and app developers, with deals negotiated to Halfbrick Studios for 2200sqm, Gameloft for 650sqm and Red Eye Apps for 355sqm.

Halfbrick Studios, the creators of popular iPhone app Fruit Ninja, took a new lease late last year at the former home of Sunny Queen Eggs in Red Hill, for an annual rent of $450,000.