Inside E.ON UK, Monday, 2 October 2006

Retail looks forward to a walk in the Parklands

Retail colleagues will begin work today in a stunning new office in Bolton.

Parklands replaces Retail’s Manchester Road site and is set to be one of E.ON UK’S flagship offices. Located opposite the Bolton Wanderers ground, it boasts some excellent carbon saving and energy efficient features including low energy lighting and an air conditioning system that recovers heat.

Nicki Akhavan, Building Services Manager, said: “Parklands has given us an excellent opportunity to install carbon-efficient and environmentally friendly facilities”.

“The building uses recyclable materials where possible. All furniture has been sourced from suppliers with sustainable resource policies, and who are proactive in environmental social responsibility.”

Motorcycle and bicycle shelters have been installed to encourage green travel and a company bus has also been organised.

Colleagues from Prepayment and StayWarm begin working from their new offices today and Correspondence, Customer Enquiries, Sales, Customer Transfers and the Support activities will move in over the next four weekends.

Once all the office moves are complete, Parklands will be home to around 1,100 people and is a big improvement on Manchester Road.

Colleagues will benefit from facilities including a new canteen, showers, relaxation areas and a prayer room. They will also be within easy reach of some great amenities on the same business park, including supermarkets and fashion retailers, a cinema and a gym.

Over the past five months Business Services and E.ON IS UK have been planning and fitting out the Parklands building with £2million worth of the latest IT infrastructure. Colleagues will benefit from IP telephony which is the very latest in communications technology.

Paul Grimshaw, Comm Services Project Manager acting for E.ON IS UK, said: “This has been a great opportunity for E.ON IS UK to demonstrate its ability to deliver leading-edge technology solutions to support the business operations.

“The new IPT call centre system is currently the largest deployment of its type in the UK. The early adoption of this technology provides a future proof solution that meets the needs of a constantly changing business such as Retail.”

Desktop PCs and laptops have been installed at workstations and in training room spaces. All the office layouts and desks have been specifically planned to promote team working.

Gail Jones from Business Services added: “This is a major investment in Bolton, and we predict the colleagues who are moving will be delighted with their new surroundings — particularly those that support Bolton Wanderers as they’ll be able to walk to the match.”