Bruntwood SciTech – the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to the growth of the tech, innovation and science sectors – has completed No 3 Circle Square, a new £87m, 267,000 sq ft state-of-the-art, sustainable workspace in the heart of Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor knowledge quarter.
The 15-storey building has been purposefully designed to meet the needs of high-growth tech, digital and innovation-led businesses, offering best-in-class workspace and a rich environment for collaboration. It forms part of Circle Square – a £750m innovation neighbourhood and joint venture between Bruntwood and Vita Group.
This latest addition from Bruntwood SciTech, a joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G and Greater Manchester Pension Fund, has already attracted significant interest, with global sportswear brand PUMA, which is relocating its UK headquarters from London to Circle Square; Auto Trader, the UK’s largest digital automotive marketplace, Havas, one of the world’s largest comms groups, and the UK data regulator, the ICO, all moving to No.3 Circle Square, joining Bruntwood SciTech’s 400-strong Manchester innovation community. They join a community of innovators and global brands already based at the neighbourhood, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Roku, Avalere Health and BlueSkeye AI, with No.1 and No.2 Circle Square already fully let, as well as a dynamic network of startups based within the Manchester Tech Incubator.
Located within one of the UK’s most vibrant tech clusters, No.3 Circle Square places businesses in close proximity to two world-class universities, with access to over 100,000 students and more than 16,000 STEM graduates every year. The strategic location, and Bruntwood SciTech’s partnerships with these universities and other alternative training providers in the city, connects businesses to an exceptional pipeline of highly-skilled talent, as well as academic, research, and clinical expertise from The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Businesses also gain direct access to Bruntwood SciTech’s growth support of funding and finance opportunities, collaborations, and new connections through their Manchester and nationwide partner network, as well as being able to connect with their 1,100-strong UK-wide customer community.
John Marland, chief development officer for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Completing No.3 Circle Square is a landmark moment – not just for Bruntwood SciTech and our delivery team, but for Manchester’s innovation economy. This building represents our ambition to create world-class infrastructure that accelerates the growth of the UK’s most exciting businesses and we’re looking forward to seeing the creativity and innovations that grow here in future.
“At Circle Square, we’ve created a vibrant ecosystem that brings together startups, global brands and scaleups in one connected, collaborative place and we’ve seen how beneficial co-location and access to talent and research can be for these businesses. No.3 Circle Square will give our customers a platform to grow, recruit, innovate – and ultimately, thrive.”
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester is the fastest-growing city in the UK and has real momentum as a centre for jobs and investment in innovation. Circle Square is making a tangible contribution to this story, attracting prestigious occupiers who want to work in an environment which supports collaboration and new ideas.”
Bruntwood SciTech has a portfolio of 5.2m sq ft across 11 campus locations and 31 city centre innovation hubs in Manchester, Cheshire, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Cambridge and London. It has plans to create a £5bn portfolio by 2033 and has a 2.3m sq ft secured development pipeline.
