Trend Group specialises in unique design-and-build approach

6th December 2018

Trend Group specialises in unique design-and-build approach

Trend Group has carved out a unique niche for itself as an office interior design and refurbishment specialist, featuring both design-and-build and project management capabilities, covering all aspects of the fit-out process.

Established over a decade ago, and with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Trend Group started out by focusing on project implementation from a development and management perspective, Business Development Director Gavin Dickinson explains.

“We ultimately undertake the full refurbishment of commercial, industrial, and retail schemes, overseeing the entire process from start to finish.”

A property developer by trade, Dickinson founded the company in conjunction with Meyer Erlank, the current Project Director. Explaining how the evolution to a design-and-build approach came about, Dickinson highlights that the seeds were planted when being tasked to carry out installations in buildings, and then having to outsource the work, often a frustrating process.

“Hence we decided to develop an in-house project management capability simply to be able to control the installation process itself. This also required a design element to be added into the mix, with the end result being the versatile company that we are today,” Dickinson elaborates.

Trend Group was subsequently approached by a number of international firms, due mainly to its impressive development implementation track record. Over a decade later, Trend Group now comprises four co-directors, including Mohamed Okasha and Derek Weimer, each bringing with them a unique skill set and wealth of experience.

The secret to Trend Group’s ongoing success is its collaborative approach. “In terms of general architectural or project assembly services, we do not try to be an expert in everything. Instead, we are sufficiently flexible to be able to compile a team of professionals that we are comfortable to work with, and whose work is of a sufficiently high calibre,” Dickinson notes.

Clients vary from those with a vacant office that needs to designed, built, and fitted-out, to clients with an existing design that simply needs to be built, to international clients with their own in-house design teams that require roll-out assistance.

“We fulfil a hybrid role straddling both the design and build ends of the project spectrum,” Dickinson stresses. Trend Group has worked across multiple industries, and undertaken projects for the likes of Google, Facebook, Booking.com, Bloomberg, Uber, Red Bull, Unilever, Porsche, Prudential, King Price, Pinsent Masons, Citibank, BBC, and Coca Cola, among others.

The main advantage of working in collaboration with key professionals, such as designers, architects and quantity surveyors, is that Trend Group does not need to have to specialist services in-house, but can simply contract these in by assembling a high-level team, headed up by a dedicated project manager. “The end result is that a project can be completed to the client’s complete satisfaction, ahead of schedule and within budget,” Dickinson stresses.

“Our approach is comprehensive and solutions-driven. It covers every aspect of the fit-out, from a needs analysis and the design, to procurement and construction. We can cater for a spectrum of project types, from relocating to new premises, to expanding or consolidating an existing office suite. Our teams achieve results that not only ensure the success of the project in hand, but that serve to solidify the relationship with our clients,” Dickinson notes.

“It’s really important to understand what the client needs, and to meet that need. We are fastidious about delivery. The biggest element is implementation, and for that we always try to be hands-on, and we take our work personally as we believe track record is everything.”

Commenting on the current state of the office-space market, Dickinson says that international trends such as co-working have resulted in an increased demand for corporate headquarters to be repurposed. “Hence the market is in a state of flux, plus the fact there is a lot of stock at the moment. The agile working trend has definitely changed the dynamics of the conventional office environment.

“We continue to strengthen our delivery arm, in collaboration with design firms that wish to align themselves with turnkey construction companies with a strong track record. We are also keen to focus more on the redevelopment or refurbishment sector, where Trend Group has extensive experience and where we believe there are massive opportunities to repurpose existing building stock,” Dickinson concludes.