Business set up by Wigan dad after brain tumour diagnosis on course for £3m turnover

Eatock Design & Build, which is an office design and commercial fit-out specialist, was founded by Paul Eatock in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic.

He had been working as a commercial fit-out specialist at Diamond Interiors when, in early 2019, he began experiencing loss of vision in one eye.

He was diagnosed with a brain tumour and it was during a six-month wait for surgery that Paul started to reassess his life.

The Swinley dad of two shed three stone after deciding to get fit and he also forged a new career path by setting up his own business.

Paul opened Eatock Design & Build on Deansgate, in Manchester city centre, in 2020, starting trading when offices were largely void of people during the pandemic.

The firm has benefited from his 29 years of sales, client handling, interior design and build experience, allowing it to successfully navigate the challenging period for the workplace sector.

In just three years, it has built a portfolio of transformative projects, turning office and commercial spaces into modern, multi-functional facilities.

Working closely with a team of interior designers, it oversees all contractor, developer, engineer, furniture procurement and fit-out responsibilities across its projects, delivering high-value specifications to time and budget.

Paul said: “We make the process easy for the businesses we work with, delivering our projects with a team of experienced interior designers to closely but imaginatively follow the client’s brief, thus creating functional and inspiring spaces.

"We pride ourselves in understanding what the modern office needs to make sure our designs are as functional and high performing as they are beautiful.”

Despite starting during lockdown, the firm managed to record an annual turnover of £530,000 in its first year, leading to additional recruitment to assist with its growth.

This resulted in annual turnover trebling in the second year.

This month EDB celebrated its 145th project appointment and predicts a turnover of £3m for this financial year.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the proportion of hybrid working rose from 13 per cent in February 2022 to 24 per cent in May 2022, with the hybrid working pattern shifting in favour of people spending more working hours at home.

But it also recorded a drop in the number of people working exclusively from home, from 22 per cent to 12 per cent in the same period.

Paul said: “This is the most poignant time in recent history for how we use our offices. The impact of hybrid working has led to offices functioning as a ‘shop front’ to reflect brand values, as well as a space for meetings and collaborative working.

"Companies are having to think carefully about how their workspace has acclimatised to modern ways of working. We support our clients to understand behavioural changes and ensure the spaces we design are reflective of the needs of their workforce.”