Offering small businesses and sole traders membership from £20 a month, Avenue HQ will include flexible workspace and private offices, meeting rooms, event spaces and an exhibition space. Tony McDonough reports

Banking giant Barclays is to provide expert support to fledgling entrepreneurs at Liverpool’s latest flexible waterfront workspace concept Avenue HQ.

Offering small businesses and sole traders membership from £20 a month, Avenue HQ will include flexible workspace and private offices, meeting rooms, event spaces and an exhibition space.

Opening in June, it will occupy 16,000 sq ft in the Latitude Building at Mann Island next to the Pier Head and Liverpool’s iconic Three Graces.

Barclays will be an integral part of the 200-seat co-working site, bringing its maker space to the incubator with 3D printers and laser cutters to support rapid prototyping for all members.

It will also offer access to resources including expert mentoring – giving Liverpool’s start-up and scale-up communities a crucial boost.

All the fit-out work on Avenue HQ was carried out by well-known Liverpool firm, Aztec Interiors.

Liverpool is the 11th Eagle Lab Barclays has opened, after success in locations such as Salford, London and Cambridge.

Avenue HQ’s founders say it was “born out of the global culture-shift in working style” believing that “through collaboration and support, individuals, business and cities can thrive”.

Andrew Gornall, Barclays’ head of SME in Liverpool, said: “This launch will further our investment in the North West’s entrepreneurs.

“The city’s businesses are hungry for flexible workspace and we want to help local entrepreneurs to win the ‘champions league’ of growth and job creation.”

Private funding has been secured to deliver the first Avenue HQ in Liverpool and a second site will open in Nottingham later this year.

Matthew Kennedy, co-founder and chief executive of Avenue HQ, added: “Combining our flexible membership packages, workspace and events spaces with expert support, extensive events calendar and maker facilities, we will create a central hub for businesses of all sectors and sizes.

“The additional benefit of access to a national network of Barclays Eagle Labs provides a wealth of opportunities to allow businesses to expand beyond the city, as well as for us to welcome businesses from other locations.”