Business editor Colette Flowerdew-Kincaid takes us on a tour of 250-employee hosting provider Fasthosts Internet’s new premises at The Forum’s 2 Cathedral Walk building in Gloucester.
Speaking to new-in-role chief executive Rupert Bedell and MP for Gloucester Alex McIntyre, she finds out why it was important for the business to stay in Gloucester, how the Forum development ties in with the city’s wider regeneration plans, and how Fasthosts plans to double its revenue growth in 2025.
Speaking to new-in-role chief executive Rupert Bedell and MP for Gloucester Alex McIntyre, she finds out why it was important for the business to stay in Gloucester, how the Forum development ties in with the city’s wider regeneration plans, and how Fasthosts plans to double its revenue growth in 2025.
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00:00I'm Rupert Bedell. I'm the CEO of Fast Toast Internet here in Gloucester. Yeah, that was
00:19a big decision for us. We had alternative sites that we looked at which would have taken
00:22us out of the city. In hindsight, it was definitely the right move to stay in Gloucester. I think
00:28it's right for our employees, but I think it's right for the town as well. Gloucester
00:32is not without its social challenges and economic challenges. And actually, having moved into
00:37the site, you realize how important it is that we have a Gloucester-based business taking
00:42residents in the forum. And hopefully, we can give something back to the city as well.
00:46We're really motivated to make sure that we are part of the local community, that we have
00:50close relationships with local media. But also, we're starting to foster links with
00:54local university, with customers in the area, and small businesses to make sure that they
00:59can use this site. And it's not just the HQ of Fast Toast that nobody ever gets to see
01:04inside. The light. You can probably see behind me, we're up on the fourth floor. We've got
01:08views over Gloucester and the hills around. Thankfully, it's a sunny day, and we're really
01:13feeling the benefit of it. But compared to where we've been, the natural light and space
01:17is just fantastic here. And you can see it in employees. Everybody's walking a little
01:21bit taller. What a difference it makes having a nice, light, bright, contemporary space.
01:51I'm Alex McIntyre. I'm the MP for Gloucester. I mean, this is a fantastic vote of confidence
01:59in our city. Fast Toast, as they've said today, had options to go elsewhere, but they saw
02:04the potential in Gloucester, just like I do as newly elected MP. And this is a fantastic
02:09building and a real opportunity for them to expand and grow their business in an amazing
02:14environment here in the forum. There's so many things that have been started under the
02:19last government which we're carrying on with, and there's going to be more to come. We've
02:21made economic growth one of our core targets as this new government. And I'm really keen
02:27to make sure that we feel the benefit of that here in Gloucester. So part of my job as the
02:31MP is to make sure that we're driving investment into the city, that we're seeing investment
02:35from government as well, and we secured more money for the Eastgate development in the
02:39city centre just in the budget last year. We've seen money invested in new housing in
02:43the city centre on Great Western Road, which you can almost see behind me. And we're really
02:48focused on making sure that we turn Gloucester into the best possible place to live and work.
02:53We had a very good 2024. We grew our revenue faster than we have done in the previous 10
02:58years. We particularly had a good quarter four. We grew our new customer numbers by
03:03record amounts in September, October, November. So we're riding a nice wave at the moment.
03:08We think that we can maybe double that revenue growth in 2025 if things go well. And yeah,
03:15we're always bringing out new products and keeping our customers happy. Our service scores
03:20are higher than they've ever been. So it's really about maintaining that momentum and
03:24continuing to grow as one of the leading tech companies in the UK.
03:28It's coming for sure. I see more and more talk about Gloucester being a tech hub or
03:34Gloucestershire as a region. The formation of the Digital Forum is a big step in that
03:39direction. I'd like to see more other organisations moving into the forum, other tech organisations
03:45which I think just contribute to a fantastic environment. But yeah, Gloucester has set
03:49out its vision. It seems to be taking shape. There's more positive news that I'm seeing
03:53around developments in the city. And yeah, hopefully that continues to attract private
03:58enterprise and in particular technology firms, which we'd love to have as neighbours.