According to Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, the tech sector is causing more demand for offices in the city than any other. Manchester is the UK’s number one tech city apart from London.
It is not only the large tech companies like Amazon, WeWork and Bookings.com that are taking up office space in Manchester, but also small to medium tech companies are also locating to the city.
Leese said:
“I think the biggest taker for space for at least three years now has been the tech sector, and the property market is no longer being solely driven by major corporates in their requirements for new space”.
Aside from the quality of office space, Manchester is an attractive city to companies because they want amenities that inspire their employees. Office space developers in the city are providing much more than areas to work in; for example, Hewlett Packard is moving to No 1 Circle Square and its employees appreciate the areas that are landscaped, and the stores and cafes nearby that are creating a sense of community.
Also, Redfern is a redeveloped Grade II building currently in progress that will combine modern office space with leisure and retail units and a rooftop terrace,
About two fifths of new queries about office space in Manchester are from the tech sector. The Manchester tech sector now employs around 63,000 people, which is more than the combined total of Sheffield, Liverpool and Leeds tech jobs, and this number is expected to grow further in the coming years.