Huckletree expands in Ancoats
Huckletree can now provide for 700 members at the grade two-listed Express, a 77,500 sq ft building redeveloped by Withington Investments in 2019.
The flexible workspace provider said that the additional floorspace in Manchester will give existing Huckletree members the opportunity to expand their teams, and also allows more scale-ups and businesses in the city to capitalise on its offering and programmes.
Huckletree Manchester already hosts members such as Depop, the community-driven marketplace; Musclefood, an online high-growth retailer; and Transform, an international marketing, strategy, and communications consultancy.
After opening in autumn 2019, year-on-year occupancy at Huckletree Ancoats grew from 24% in June 2020 to 67% in June 2021 and 92% in June 2022.
At the group level, Huckletree surpassed 92% occupancy in July 2022. It now occupies around 100,000 sq ft in the UK and Ireland.
The company said that it looks to cluster startups in hubs suited to them: Huckletree Manchester is built around digital lifestyle and media pioneers, there is a government tech hub in Westminster and a venture capital investment hub in Soho.
Gabriela Hersham, chief executive and co-founder at Huckletree, said: “We are proud that our first expansion announcement of the year is in Manchester, making it now the largest hub in our portfolio.
“This is not only testament to the strength of the businesses launching or scaling in the Northern region, but it is also a good indication that working dynamically and feeling a part of a wider ecosystem have fast become a norm for Mancunian workers.”
Patrick Kennedy, flexible workplace specialist at Colliers, said: “Q1 and Q2 of 2022 have seen the flexible office market in Manchester thriving, and across the board desk rates in Manchester have never been higher. Occupiers of all sizes and sectors are looking to utilise the many benefits of flexible workspace.
“Nearly all flexible working operators in Manchester are running at a high and profitable occupancy.
Occupiers will happily spend more for quality space because there are many elements driving people and companies to Manchester.”
Kennedy added that Ancoats in particular is proving popular with young businesses: “This has become a really popular part of the city, and I don’t see demand slowing down any time soon.”
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