SOFTWARE giant Adobe is expanding its Edinburgh operations in one of the city's biggest office deals of the past 18 months.
The move comes years after the US-headquartered company reduced its presence north of the Border. Previously it had established a European HQ and customer services operation employing hundreds of people.
Polly Purvis, head of software and IT indus
try body ScotlandIS, welcomed the expansion, which will see Adobe relocate to larger premises to the west of the city.
"I am delighted to see that there is confidence in the European, UK and Scottish marketplace," she said.
"At one point they had a big presence here and they scaled it down. It is a vote of confidence they are coming back here and probably reflects the quality of people they can access."
According to Adobe, the group's Edinburgh office currently employs 35 staff and focuses on technical support and customer relations for European clients.
The $4 billion (£2.3bn) turnover company, based in San Jose, California, develops document software Acrobat as well as the Flash and Photoshop computer applications.
Adobe has taken a ten-year lease on an office two-and-a-half times bigger than its current premises. The group will move into Hermiston Quay 2 next to Edinburgh Park and the city bypass.
The deal has cheered property agents who hailed it as the largest leasehold transaction in the west of Edinburgh in 18 months.
Douglas Gardiner, Edinburgh director of Adobe's property agent Atisreal, described the move as "good news".
"They are also bringing in additional functions. It is a growth story," he added.
The move is from an 8,000sq ft office at Riverside House, whose other tenants include the City of Edinburgh Council, to 21,000sq ft of accommodation.
"They are two very different quality of buildings," noted Gardiner.
Adobe's move bucks the trend in the UK large corporate lettings market which has hit a slow patch as companies attempt to keep a lid on costs. According to Gardiner, the big corporate market has been hit harder than the small office market which continues to thrive.
"There are fewer big deals. But the smaller end of the market is doing well. The 1,000 to 2,000sq ft end of the market is almost as strong as ever."
Mike Irvine, a partner at property agent Montagu Evans, said: "Given the current situation in the market this is a significant office deal for west Edinburgh.
"I am confident of more deals on the horizon, especially given the competitive rents available."
Montagu Evans and NB Real Estate acted for the landlord, Axial Investment Management, which recently took over management of the building for its owner, pension fund Pearl Assurance Trustees.
The full article contains 458 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
