Bantry SuperValu will host ‘hot desks’ office for remote working

GROW Remote, a national group set up to support and promote those working remotely, has launched a new branch in Bantry and the surrounding area.

The concept, which has a number of branches across West Cork was set up almost a year ago by Tracy Keogh and now ,thanks to the help of Neill Clarke and the Bantry Chamber of Commerce (BCC), plans are underway – not only for a local branch, but for a base where people can work, meet up and access local facilities.

‘Grow Remote provides support for those who work remotely for companies, not just here in Ireland, but across the globe as well,’ Tracy told The Southern Star.

‘We are in 10 counties and 104 communities across the country where, we not only encourage and support employees and employers, but enable people to work and live within their own communities.’

In Bantry, the opportunity to start a new Grow Remote group came about when Neill Clarke of the BCC became aware of the number of people in the area working from their homes for companies such as Apple, Wayfair and Amazon.

Neill added: ‘We saw that with Eir’s new and improved high speed broadband in the area it was becoming easier for people to work from home so we connected with Grow Remote to see what we could do to promote and grow this sector in Bantry.

‘We had a very good turnout for our first meeting and thanks to Jim O’Keeffe at the local SuperValu, we will soon have a dedicated space, not only for Grow Remote but anyone who wants to access a hot desk or an office in our area.’

Starting early next year, in a dedicated space overlooking Bantry Bay, there will be an area within the local SuperValu where people can access high speed broadband at 16 hot desks and four offices.

‘The designs are in place and we will be working to have the space opened early next year,’ Neill said.

‘The new space will be available for those who want to a desk to work from or a meeting room or an office and we have had a lot of interest from both employers and remote employees.’

For more information on a Grow Remote group in your area lodge on to growremote.ie