Office relocation guide: planning a smooth business move
What is an office relocation service?
An office relocation service moves your business — furniture, IT equipment, files, stock and people's workspaces — from one premises to another with as little disruption as possible. Unlike a house move, a business move has to protect productivity, customer service and data, so planning matters as much as the physical move itself.
Friends Logists UK provides commercial removals for offices, shops, clinics, studios and small businesses across West Yorkshire and the UK. We handle the logistics so your team can stay focused on customers.
Your office move timeline
Three months before
- Confirm the lease end date at your current premises and any reinstatement or clearance obligations.
- Appoint a move coordinator inside your business — one person who makes decisions and liaises with us.
- Check what the new building allows: loading bays, lift sizes, access hours and any landlord requirements.
One to two months before
- Arrange a site visit so we can see both premises and prepare a written move plan and fixed quote.
- Book your IT provider for disconnection and reconnection of servers, networks and phone systems.
- Create a floor plan for the new office with numbered desks and room names.
- Decide what furniture is moving, being replaced, recycled or cleared.
Two weeks before
- Distribute labels and crates, and brief staff on packing their own desks.
- Update your address with customers, suppliers, HMRC, Companies House, your bank and insurers.
- Order new signage and update your website, Google Business Profile and email signatures.
Move day and after
- We move furniture, crates and equipment in the agreed order, rebuild desks and place everything according to your floor plan.
- Your IT partner reconnects systems; our team collects empty crates once everything is unpacked.
How to minimise downtime during an office move
The biggest cost of an office move is usually lost working time, not the move itself. We reduce downtime by moving outside core hours where possible — evenings and weekends can be arranged on request — and by using a clear labelling system so every crate, chair and monitor goes straight to the right desk. Many businesses close on a Friday afternoon and are fully working again on Monday morning.
Moving IT equipment and confidential files safely
Computers, monitors, printers and phones are wrapped individually and transported in protective crates. Cables and peripherals are bagged and labelled to each workstation. For confidential paperwork, files stay in sealed crates and in our custody from start to finish. Specialist server, network and data work should always be carried out by your IT provider — we're happy to coordinate timings with them.
What affects the cost of an office relocation?
| Factor | What we consider |
|---|---|
| Size of the office | Number of workstations, meeting rooms, storage units and amount of paperwork. |
| Access at both sites | Loading bays, lift availability, stairs and building access hours. |
| Timing | Out-of-hours and weekend moves may be priced differently from weekday moves. |
| Furniture work | Dismantling and reassembly of desks, benching systems and storage. |
| Clearance | Removing and recycling furniture you no longer need. |
| Storage | Holding surplus furniture or archives between moves. |
Business moves across West Yorkshire and the UK
We relocate businesses within Bradford and Leeds city centres, business parks and high streets across Calderdale and Kirklees, and to new premises anywhere in the UK. Need somewhere to keep surplus stock or archive boxes? Ask about our business storage.