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September 29, 2025
Alex Timperley
5 mins
Take up in Manchester’s office market remained steady this month following on from a more positive August. The final three months of the year are almost here and Manchester is well-placed to keep growing.
That is reflected by the office market this month which features a whole range of firms expanding in Manchester and taking up more space. In some cases, less than a year after they made their first move – a testament to Manchester’s superior business environment.
Highlights from September include...
We reported in January this year than Sancus Lending had taken its first office space in Manchester. They chose Manchester because of the city’s strength in professional services and its deep pool of available talent, saying Manchester “provides a unique environment from which to create something special.”
It appears the bet paid off. The firm has already outgrown its first space and is now moving to a new home at 26 Cross Street less than a year later. They’ve taken out a five-year lease on the new 1,800 sqft space and have been appointing new employees to key positions in the business.
Alex Garland, commercial director at Sancus, said:
“The city has exceeded our expectations - in terms of the market, the talent and the opportunities. Our new 1,800 sqft office marks an important investment in our long-term growth here - and this is just the beginning.
“There’s real momentum behind what we’re doing. We’ve grown quickly, built a strong team and established deep roots in the market. Our new base at Cross Street puts us at the heart of it all.”
Allsop is one of the UK’s leading property consultancies and they have arrived in Manchester to take advantage of the city’s outstanding market. Theirnew space at 125 Deansgate will support teams from across the business and boost the company’s growth.
Manchester has already proven to be a good fit for the company’s model, and it made sense to the company to set up in the city permanently.
Andrew Boyd, senior partner at Allsop LLP, said:
“With existing clients and key staff already based in Manchester, opening an office in the city is a logical step in our strategy to grow our regional business.
“As the market conditions continue to improve, this office will enable us to further build our partner-led offering, serving clients across the North of England in close collaboration with our colleagues across Leeds and London.”
BNY Mellon made waves when it moved to Manchester in September 2024. They took the whole of 4 Angel Square at NOMA and brought one of the financial world’s biggest names to our city.
The 200,000 sqft space will now be home to even more people in 2026. BNY Mellon has announced that it is leaving Liverpool entirely and relocating all staff to the Manchester office.
This is a resounding vote of confidence for Manchester’s office market and should be seen as a positive development ahead of the new year.
MSB Solicitors has solidified its commitment to Manchester by movingto a new space at Blackfriars from the company’s previous home in Spinningfields. The firm handles family, business and property law, and will now do so from a historic address in the heart of Manchester’s business district.
Emma Carey, managing partner at MSB, said:
“Blackfriars House combines tradition with innovation, as we look back on our history and reimagine our future with a modern, collaborative space.
“Close proximity to Manchester’s legal and financial heartland makes it the perfect setting for our Manchester team as it continually grows.”
It’s another seal of approval for Manchester’s impressive legal sector that is becoming increasingly influential in the city’s office market.
Beaconsfield Commercial has plans for Parsonage Gardens. The company has been working for five years on plans to redevelop the city centre space and a planning application is close to being submitted.
A request for an Environmental Impact Assessment has been lodged, suggesting that a full planning application may soon follow. The original plans to demolish existing buildings on the site and replace them with a contemporary building have been abandoned.
The new scheme is a smaller one at 13,000 sqft and more in keeping with the area following consultation. This is one to keep an eye on in 2026!
Max Fordham is a building services practice with a significant presence in the Manchester market. They are now expanding with a 10-year lease at Cottonopolis on Newton Street.
While the move more than doubles the company’s floorspace, it was also driven by a desire for a more sustainable office which would help the company meet its environmental goals and provide a wellness-driven base for employees.
Iain Shaw, partner at Max Fordham, said: “We’re really excited about our new Manchester office. It’s such a beautiful space to be in with its exposed fabric and daylight, it really extols our approach of low carbon retrofit with an honest simple approach.”
Finally, one of the fastest-growing professional services firms in the UK, Gunnercooke, has moved its operations to Pall Mall. The 16,000 sqft space is one of Bruntwood SciTech’s flagship innovation hubs and the perfect place for a growing business.
Darryl Cooke, gunnercooke Founder, added:
“As our entrepreneurial model has become widely recognised, our growth has been exponential. This latest expansion marks a significant milestone in gunnercooke’s journey.
“We’ve seen incredible momentum in the North, with a growing number of both legal and non-legal talent joining us every year, and we need our spaces to reflect this growth.
“In Pall Mall, we’ve found a home that reflects everything we stand for – creativity, flexibility and a future-facing mindset.”
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