Media Release

St.George Bank has today opened more doors to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups in Western Australia with the launch of a free, full-service office space in Perth CBD.

The Perth Business Hub is a co-working environment fitted out with Wi-Fi, tablets, meeting rooms, telephones, printers, stationary, daily newspapers and a kitchenette so SMEs have the capacity to establish and grow their operation, at no cost.

St.George General Manager of Business Banking, Phillip Godkin said St.George recognises SMEs are the engine room of the Australian economy and the new hub is part of a long term investment to support and strengthen local businesses in Western Australia.

“It’s great to see positive sentiment and a huge appetite for small business growth in Western Australia with 97 per cent of all businesses actively trading as SMEs in the state. We’re really excited to launch the Perth Business Hub and help more Western Australian small businesses get up and running,” he said.

The Perth Business Hub follows the success of St.George’s fully-serviced Chatswood Business Hub which launched in January last year.

“The Chatswood Business Hub has proven to be an outstanding success, with the Hub often booked to capacity and over 4,000 users taking advantage of the facilities since it opened,” Philip said.

The St.George Chatswood Business Hub attracts sole traders, IT consultants, web designers and all kinds of small businesses to work collaboratively, share information and form successful partnerships.

Tech start-ups Jacob Dudzinski and Mats Johnson are newcomers to the Chatswood Hub and currently make the most of the office space at least four days a week.

“Our business, Wifi Control, is in its early phase and we found working from home or meeting at cafes very unproductive. Since coming to the hub we’ve been able to remove ourselves from any distractions and embrace the office environment to really get things done. The hub is half way between our homes too, making it a very central and convenient meeting spot,” Jacob said.

Beata Brennan, Regional General Manager for Western Australia said the Hub is open to all small businesses, not just St.George customers, who are looking for a helping hand as they get their businesses off the ground.

“We hope the Peth Business Hub will be a central point for small businesses to meet and collaborate. Even businesses in regional areas that need to travel into the CBD, can set themselves up in the hub for the day and make the most of its free facilities,” Beata said.

St.George will continue invest in more business hubs across the country as part of its ongoing support for Small Business growth.