Business First Bank
Business First Ltd is a UK-based serviced office, coworking, hot desk, virtual office and industrial unit provider under the Group First conglomerate, operating 500+ office suites and Store First self-storage across multiple UK regions for small and mid-sized businesses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersPadiham, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Business First Bank does
Business First Ltd is a privately held UK provider of serviced offices, hot desks, virtual offices, coworking space and industrial units, operating as a subsidiary of the Group First conglomerate. The company runs 500+ office suites across multiple business centres primarily in Lancashire (Blackburn, Burnley, Blackpool, Nelson, Preston and Padiham/Brierfield) with extended coverage in Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, Rochdale and other UK regions, and is headquartered at Group First House, Padiham, Lancashire (BB12 7NG). It is a private limited company (Companies House number 12536564) with 11-50 employees.
The product portfolio spans entry-level virtual office addresses through to larger 12,000 sq ft office suites and industrial units, bundled with on-site amenities such as luxury breakout areas, boardroom and conference facilities, mail handling, parking, and dedicated business centre managers. Flexibility is core to the value proposition — leases typically run on a one-month deposit and one-month notice basis, and the website runs a 50%-off-for-three-months acquisition promotion. Beyond the core serviced-office product, Business First has expanded vertically via Store First, a wholly-owned self-storage sub-brand with locations in 16+ UK cities (Barnsley, Blackburn, Brierfield, Burnley, Derby, Ellesmere Port, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Mansfield, Preston, Rochdale, Rushden, St Helens, Wakefield), and has launched Northlight Industries, a premium workspace redevelopment within a Grade II listed mill complex in Pendle, Nelson offering 75,000 sq ft of office space, 50,000 sq ft of industrial workspace and 25,000 sq ft of self-storage.
The business model is B2B recurring workspace rental — monthly subscriptions for offices, hot desks, virtual offices and industrial units, plus self-storage income from Store First — distributed through a branch-network sales motion supplemented by a website pricing calculator and standard social media channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube). The technology layer is conventional web-based marketing and booking infrastructure; there is no evidence of proprietary software, AI/ML capability or differentiated technology platform. Ownership rests with the privately held Group First parent; no venture capital, private equity or public-market investment is evidenced in the source data.
Business First Bank firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Business First Bank
- Legal name
- Business First Ltd
- Website
- https://businessfirst.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Business First Ltd is a UK-based serviced office, coworking, hot desk, virtual office and industrial unit provider under the Group First conglomerate, operating 500+ office suites and Store First self-storage across multiple UK regions for small and mid-sized businesses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Business First Bank industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Serviced Office Space
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business & Commercial Self-Storage (Inventory/Records) (HSAKAGAD)
Keywords
Where Business First Bank is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Padiham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Business First Bank business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Net Interest Income: Interest income from loan portfolio (32% annualized QoQ growth including Progressive Bank acquisition) and securities, offset by interest paid on deposits and borrowings. Core net interest margin at 3.60% in Q1 2026.
- Non-Interest Income: Fee income from banking services including deposit-related fees, loan servicing fees, and other banking service charges
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Core Net Interest Margin |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Business First Bank product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Business First (legal name: Business First Ltd) provides serviced offices, hot desking, coworking spaces, virtual office addresses, and industrial units across the UK, operating under the Group First conglomerate. The company manages 500+ office suites through its network of business centres primarily in Lancashire and other Northern England and Scotland locations, with flexible monthly rental terms, onsite centre management, and ancillary services such as mail handling, boardroom, and conference facilities.
Product overview
Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) is a US bank holding company operating through its wholly-owned banking subsidiary b1BANK. The company offers traditional banking products and services including deposit accounts, lending products, and wealth management services. The Q1 2026 earnings report shows revenue of $89.14 million with EPS of $0.73, representing 13.66% year-over-year growth. The company completed the Progressive Bank acquisition on January 1, 2026, adding $774 million in assets and nine North Louisiana branches. The company reported deploying agentic AI for workflow automation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Store First: Self-storage brand offering storage units across the UK at locations including Barnsley, Blackburn, Brierfield, Burnley, Derby, Ellesmere Port, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Mansfield, Preston, Rochdale, Rushden, St Helens, and Wakefield.
- Northlight Industries
- Group First
Products and services
- Serviced Offices
Quantifiable outcome
- Q1 2026 EPS of $0.73 beat analyst estimates by $0.04; Core earnings grew 20.9% YoY in Q4 2025 and 27% for full year 2025
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Business First Bank
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Business First Bank technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Business First Bank partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Progressive Bancorp (Progressive Bank)coreAcquisition closed January 1, 2026, adding $774 million in assets and 9 North Louisiana branches to Business First Bancshares' b1BANK subsidiary. Loan portfolio grew 32% annualized QoQ including Progressive contribution.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Business First Bank competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Orega: UK operator of serviced and managed offices outside London. Similar horizontal, regional flexible-workspace model targeting growing SMB and professional services tenants.
- Big Yellow Group: UK self-storage REIT operating a national network of storage facilities. Direct peer to Store First, the self-storage subsidiary of Business First, with comparable unit economics and tenant mix.
- BE Offices: UK serviced office and virtual office provider with multi-site regional coverage. Comparable in tenant profile, lease flexibility, and bundled service offering to Business First.
- The Office Group: UK provider of flexible, serviced and managed office space across multiple cities. Closest direct peer in product offering, target SMB customer base, and full-service office model to Business First.
- Safestore Holdings: UK and Paris self-storage operator. Closest like-for-like peer to Store First in product offering, customer segment, and operating geography.
Broad incumbents
- IWG (Regus): Global leader in serviced, virtual and coworking offices under Regus, Spaces and Signature brands. Dominant incumbent in the same category with significant UK presence and broader resources.
- Workspace Group: London-focused flexible-workspace owner-operator with larger scale. Broader incumbent in the same product category serving similar SMB and SME customers, with a wider geographic and capital footprint.
- WeWork: Global flexible-workspace and coworking provider. Overlaps with Business First in coworking and serviced office product for SMB and enterprise tenants, but at much larger scale.
- Shurgard Self Storage: European self-storage operator with UK presence. Comparable to Store First in self-storage product, with broader geographic footprint and institutional scale.
Regional players
- Servcorp: Premium serviced and virtual office provider with global footprint. Comparable in virtual office and serviced office product, though focused on premium CBD markets rather than UK regional cities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Business First Bank social profiles
Digital presenceBusiness First Bank financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Business First Bank leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Business First Bank subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Business First Bank funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Business First Bank M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Business First Bank
What does Business First Bank do?
Business First (legal name: Business First Ltd) provides serviced offices, hot desking, coworking spaces, virtual office addresses, and industrial units across the UK, operating under the Group First conglomerate. The company manages 500+ office suites through its network of business centres primarily in Lancashire and other Northern England and Scotland locations, with flexible monthly rental terms, onsite centre management, and ancillary services such as mail handling, boardroom, and conference facilities.
Is Business First Bank a public or private company?
Business First Bank is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Business First Bank founded?
Business First Bank was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Business First Bank based?
Business First Bank is headquartered in Padiham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Business First Bank make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Net Interest Income is the primary driver. The others are non-Interest Income.
Who are Business First Bank's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Orega, Big Yellow Group, BE Offices, The Office Group and Safestore Holdings. Broad incumbents are IWG (Regus), Workspace Group, WeWork and Shurgard Self Storage. Servcorp is listed as a regional player.
Does Business First Bank have an API?
No public API is recorded for Business First Bank.
What industry is Business First Bank in?
Business First Bank's product category is Serviced Office Space. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAKAGAD, Business & Commercial Self-Storage (Inventory/Records).