The International Institute for Anti-Ageing (iiaa) is one of the fastest growing and innovative companies at the forefront of the beauty industry. They supply thousands of premier salons and spas around the UK with Environ Skin Care, Jane Iredale mineral cosmetics and the Advanced Nutrition Programme. These professional-only brands have an established, scientific basis and achieve incredible, proven results and offer a holistic approach to modern beauty therapies.

Location: London
Value: Not disclosed

Founded 20 years ago the business was originally run from home but as the business grew, it started to rent more and more of office space from a self-storage building over the road. It soon became apparent that there was a mismatch between the prestigious brand image and their actual of office space.

When they found the ideal building, near Brent Cross in North London, they decided to do a complete refit to transform it into a creative rather than corporate space and for it to look both professional and scientific.

The tout project comprised many elements including a large glazed space that can fit up to 70 people, modern training rooms which look more like professionals salons, mobile exhibition stands including high end lightboxes, furniture and extensive IT systems.

The result is a space which is bright, contemporary and full of eye-catching elements, creating a real WOW factor for employees and visitors alike.

A large proportion of the costs were funded using lease finance. For an expanding company such as iiaa, selecting this option makes sound financial sense as it enables them to spread the cost over time and invest capital elsewhere in the business.

Leasing helped our client to:

• Match cost with benefit by spreading the capital cost of the project
• Invest in their space as well as in other parts of their business

We chose to lease our office fitout in order to better match cost with benefit, the fixed monthly payments allowed us to spread the cost and have given us the flexibility to achieve a higher return on our capital by investing it elsewhere in the business.Martin Evans, Finance Director, iiaa