Comments from Sanko Clients Brown Brothers Harriman Tokyo Office
Our clients in the global investment community demand that we have a Business Continuity Plan to guarantee that their data is secure in the event of a major power outage. So when we decided to move from our former office in Mita, a high priority for us in any new property was additional space to permit the installation of our own dedicated generator.
This proved a challenge, because although almost all new Class A and B office buildings in Tokyo have their own generators to serve tenants, additional space in building basements for a second generator is usually not available.
Sanko Estate had helped us find our first office, so in early 2006, when we formally decided to move, we sought their help again. They identified perhaps 30 or 40 properties satisfying most of our demands, but after eliminating those without extra basement space our choice was restricted to perhaps four or five.
An early hope of ours too was a one-floor solution, which is more efficient than multi-floor offices, better for staff, and saves on equipment. But in 2006, the Tokyo market was very tight, and finding a property meeting our other needs, such as convenience to transport, was difficult.
We had also considered searching in Marunouchi - which would have afforded us good status - but the high cost would have represented a big jump from our former premises. And even with the documentation and market information that Sanko helped us prepare for our New York head office, winning management approval would have been difficult.
Ultimately, we chose Toranomon Kotohira Tower, where we have three floors, nearly double that of our Mita property. Sanko Estate provided invaluable assistance, not only in supporting our representations to senior management but also in helping to persuade the building owner that BBH is a company of fine standing and would make an ideal tenant. Sanko also helped in our efforts to gain approvals from the fire and police authorities for our generator.
My advice to foreign companies seeking commercial space in Tokyo is to find an experienced and dedicated partner like Sanko Estate.Toshio Sakuma
Vice President,
Head of Systems
http://www.bbh.com/
http://www.bbh.com/tokyo/index.html