Case study: Sandersons, Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 

Sandersons are a longstanding and valued member of the Parkside community.

Background 

Founded by Laurie Sanderson in London in 1956, Sandersons moved to Colchester in the 1960s. With the business growing, and serving a global portfolio of clients, they needed to move out of their town centre offices to a more connected, open-plan space. 

Sandersons moved to Parkside in 2016, one of the early tenants when the first buildings were ready for occupation. Since then, subsequent phases and the development of the Innovation Centre have taken place to create a thriving business community.  

Why Parkside? 

Practice Manager Phoebe Fuller explains: “The primary attraction when we located to the University’s Knowledge Gateway was the innovation developed within the University and the subsequent development of the Innovation Centre. We’ve done some work with the University over the years. 

“It also seemed a good location. The opportunities, the services, the travel arrangements, it is a really nice area to be. It’s a lovely, bright, open space, good for creative thinking and with other businesses around which provide a lot of opportunities for interaction.” 

Phoebe said the dozen-strong team enjoyed being able to walk around the parkland and use the services of the University campus, but also took the opportunity to attend business-focused events, particularly at Essex Business School.  

Sandersons have given talks to other Knowledge Gateway-based businesses about the importance of an intellectual property strategy, and have also lectured students as part of their studies on the importance of intellectual property and the IP protection process for scientific research. 

Phoebe continued: “It’s beneficial to us, and other businesses, to meet up. We have had a couple of clients come to us as a result of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University which has generated new technology. We worked with Above, which has developed bespoke software for the solar power industry, to establish a portfolio of patent and trade mark protection for their business.” 

Future Plans 

While the Covid-19 pandemic reduced opportunities to interact with other businesses on the Knowledge Gateway and with the University, Sandersons are keen to build up their networks again.  

They have ample space in their current offices and enjoy the bright, open-plan environment and the close proximity to the University and the expertise within Essex Business School.  

Ideally placed to help fledgling businesses to grow, they are proud to be based on the Knowledge Gateway in Colchester, while serving clients around the world.