Payments firm sets out its stall following six months at landmark Limerick building

INTEGRATED payments and software solution firm Transact has marked its six-month anniversary as tenants at Gardens International.

The vast site on Henry Street in the city centre has failed to live up to initial projections that it would be home to hundreds of workers, with aircraft lessor NAC, the anchor tenant, employing just 70 people.

It comes amid the rise of working-from-home, and question marks over the suitability of grade-one office space into the future.

But the general manager of Transact is delighted to be present in the €18m complex.

John Gleeson said Gardens is the “perfect European landing strip” for the firm, headquartered in Arizona, USA.

Its Limerick operation, supported by IDA Ireland, is the company’s international headquarters outside America, with responsibility for shaping and developing its portfolio of Transact products and services.

Mr Gleeson said: “It’s a very competitive recruitment market and the minute you recruit you need to think about retention and one of the key assets we have in both respects is Gardens International. It’s that old saying ‘location, location, location’ and this is one of the best workspaces in the country, not just Limerick. It’s a real draw.”

He described the building as a “superb fusion of old and new architecture”, and one which is “carving a real future for itself.”

“The building also has great views out over the Shannon and a fantastic urban community around it, with coffee shops, restaurants and retail options. It’s everything that a young, mobile innovative workforce wants and expects,” he added.

David Conway, the chief executive of Limerick Twenty Thirty which led the development of Gardens said that taking over the building as a half-built shell after works on it under a previous owner stalled in the crash was a “silver lining” moment for Limerick.

“What we did with Gardens International was a bold statement by the city at a really challenging time, that it was creating world-class space to attract world-class companies and Transact’s arrival here is evidence of its success. We are delighted to have them with us at Gardens International. We see this as a perfect fit; a world-class, sustainably-designed and award-winning, innovative building paired with a world-class leader in its field. Furthermore, Limerick itself is very much a vibrant and innovative city with a strong tech ecosystem and Transact Campus is another positive addition to that community,” he said.

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Mr Gleeson believes the hybrid model – where staff work either in office or at home – is here to stay after it became a necessity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Hybrid working will be with us for a long time to come. There’s good reason for it to stay. It gives a better work-life balance, a better employee experience and when they come into the office here, you get a real sense that they enjoy it. They’re happy here and then they’re happy working from home. Happy employees stay in their jobs longer than unhappy ones so the hybrid model serves us well,” he added.

Heaping praise on Limerick, the executive added: “It’s a centre of innovation and it is also a diverse city. It’s an exciting city, a city very much on the up. We’ve landed perfectly.”