Source: Talk Shop Media

First New Office Tenant at 725 Granville Street Announced Above Vancouver's Nordstrom Specialty Retailer

Miller Thomson LLP Lead Office Tenant in one of Canada's Most Unique Office Buildings

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan. 16, 2014) - Miller Thomson LLP, a business law firm with offices in 11 Canadian cities, is pleased to announce today that it is the first office tenant to sign a lease within 725 Granville Street in Vancouver's downtown core, which will also house Nordstrom as the signature retail tenant. The tenancy, facilitated by Colliers International, signifies a changing landscape for office space and business needs in Vancouver. Miller Thomson is the first national law firm to seize the potential of this unique and unconventional space.

Miller Thomson's move to 725 Granville Street is an exciting change for the law firm, and reflects the firm's dynamic approach in providing exceptional legal services to its clients, and its forward thinking strategy. Through the help of Colliers International, Miller Thomson engaged its people to better understand what they need in new office space to best support them in their work. The resulting deal is a direct reflection of the firm's approach in creating a distinctive, creative and collaborative environment.

With close to five times more square footage on one floor than that of the average office building in Vancouver, Miller Thomson will have over 48,000 square feet of open office space. This one of a kind building also has 17-foot high ceilings and 12-foot tall windows, bringing the outside in, with enhanced natural lighting. The firm will have a wide-open canvas to paint with a unique character to suit it moving forward.

Of the move, Owen Pawson, managing partner of Miller Thomson Vancouver office, shares, "Right now we're on a number of different floors. As we expanded over the years our floors were not able to be adjacent to each other. When we went out seeking a new office, one of the most important factors for us was to get everyone together. To reflect our dynamic and forward thinking lawyers, we wanted a space that enhanced our collaborative approach to the practice of law, and which would allow us to evolve with new technologies and ways of working in the future."

"We believe that our new office will give us opportunities to enhance collaboration and creativity. We want our team to spend time talking to each other and getting ideas from each other, and this space will facilitate this type of exchange," Pawson adds. "This space will require forward looking design solutions to accommodate a professional services firm. We fully expect that our space will become a model of innovative design."

According to Colin Scarlett, Senior Vice President and head of Colliers Law Firm Practice Group, "What's interesting about this move is that the vast majority of the market would observe this building and the characteristics of the space as ideal for technology-based, or, engineering firms - it is a divergence from, and atypical of a law firm building. Miller Thomson made a bold move with this decision, by embracing the future and thinking about how they would evolve their organization. We think it's going to leave a lot of law firms wondering what Miller Thomson knows that they don't."

With the 725 Granville Street space located one block north of the downtown Vancouver Court Houses, the new location is ideal for Miller Thomson. Additionally, placing the team directly at the hub of the city and amenities, Miller Thomson will enjoy closer access to the business core and the creative centre of downtown Vancouver.

About Miller Thomson:

Miller Thomson LLP is one of Canada's most respected national business law firms with 450 lawyers working from eleven offices across Canada. The firm offers a complete range of business law, advocacy and personal legal services, working regularly with in-house legal departments and external counsel world-wide to facilitate cross-border and multinational transactions and business needs. Miller Thomson offices are located in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Markham, and Montréal.

For more information, visit: http://www.millerthomson.com/en/home

About Colliers International:

Colliers International is a global leader in commercial real estate services, with over 13,500 professionals operating out of more than 482 offices in 62 countries. Colliers International delivers a full range of services to real estate users, owners and investors worldwide, including global corporate solutions, brokerage, property and asset management, hotel investment sales and consulting, valuation, consulting and appraisal services, mortgage banking and insightful research. The latest annual survey by the Lipsey Company ranked Colliers International as the second-most recognized commercial real estate firm in the world.

In 2011, 2012 and 2013, the International Property Awards recognized Colliers International for excellence in the following categories: Property Consultancy, Property Consultancy Marketing and Property Consultancy Website.

For the latest international news from Colliers International in Canada, visit collierscanada.com/news or follow us on Twitter: @collierscanada

Contact Information:

Media Contact:
Chelsea Moore
604.734.2220
Chelsea@talkshopmedia.com