Auto Trader inks 130,000 sq ft Manchester relocation
Bruntwood SciTech’s £87m No 3 Circle Square will be the company’s new home.
Auto Trader, the well-known digital vehicle marketplace, will relocate from its 75,000 sq ft office at Abrdn’s No1 First Street.
The Auto Trader deal is for seven floors and around half of the 267,000 sq ft Oxford Road office and is Manchester’s second six figure office letting in recent months following BNY Mellon’s 200,000 sq ft 4 Angel Square letting.
The firm has been seeking a move for several years and has finally plumped for Bruntwood SciTech’s No 3 Circle Square, which is under construction and due to complete in April.
The 15-storey scheme was designed by Bridge Architects and is being built by GMI Construction.
No 3 Circle Square will be net zero carbon in construction and on completion is expected to achieve BREEAM Excellent status, a NABERS 5-star accolade, and an EPC A rating.
Auto Trader will join fellow tech businesses HPE, Avalere, Roku, Bosch and Uber-owned Autocab at Circle Square.
Josh Whiteley, commercial director at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Auto Trader’s decision to join us highlights the vibrant, collaborative ecosystem we’ve created within Circle Square and throughout Manchester’s knowledge quarter.
“We’ve seen first-hand how the support we offer and community we’ve built at Circle Square forges connections and promotes knowledge-sharing between large, well-established businesses, start-ups and scale ups, from the tech incubator through to the large-scale new buildings.”
Alison Ross, Auto Trader’s chief people and operations director, said: “The access to exceptional digital talent and skills from across the region has been integral to our growth and one of the key reasons why today, we are one of the UK’s largest technology companies.
“To continue to grow, we not only need more space to house our rapidly expanding data and technology teams, but also state-of-the-art facilities which can support their pace of innovation and ambition.”
She added: “The relocation of our head office to Circle Square within the heart of Manchester’s thriving tech community will help us to deliver this growth, and it reaffirms our unwavering commitment to the city.”
Hold on a minute – I thought the office was dead?
By Confused
The office is dead. Long live the office!
By Anonymous
Oh….it appears as though the office isn’t dead and a growing successful business recognises the value of workplace.
By Anonymous
I do love it when people successfully square the circle with new accommodation solutions. It’s almost like our vocabulary is trading on auto-pilot at the word salad bar.
By shapes
They pay their staff well below market rates and they expect them to spend hundreds out of their measly salaries commuting to the city centre?
Stop the move and keep the money to give your people an appropriate wage.
By Anonymous
Worked for Auto Trader in the 1980’s when they were in Catherine street Warrington and owned by Patrick Quinn who had changed the publication from an unprofitable free newspaper.
By Anonymous
The office isn’t dead, it’s just far less important than it used to be
By Anonymous
Despite having been gifted HOME, first street seems to be lacking some identity as an office destination? Doesn’t help that the central boulevard lacks commercial units
By Anonymous
Hey anonymous 8-14………to whom isn’t the office far less important??
By Anonymous