Gary Neville and Relentless Developments’ new No.1 St Michael’s development has officially opened and secured its position as one of the best office developments in the UK, according to the British Council of Offices’ latest framework.
Cllr. Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, joined Neville alongside tenants and agents to mark the official opening and full occupation of the best-in-class office development last night (Wednesday November 5).
Construction of No.1 St Michael’s commenced in 2022 and the development has been brought to the market by a joint venture between Relentless Developments and KKR. Relentless secured six office tenants and three F&B operators before work completed – setting a new headline rent for offices in the city on three occasions. It is the first speculative office building of this scale to be fully let prior to practical completion in Manchester for 15 years.
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The final remaining work has been completed on the luxury building amenities, which comprise a number of premium shared spaces for office tenants and their employees including a rooftop boardroom and seated terrace, executive meeting suites, luxury hydro and changing lounges and a cycle hub for 184 bikes.
An immersive and kaleidoscopic art installation from British artist Liz West titled ‘Double Fizz’ completes the communal space, spanning the main artery of the building.
All six office tenants are now in occupation – broadcaster and media company Channel 4, international law firms Pinsent Masons and Hill Dickinson, global computing giant Arm, premium serviced office provider Gilbanks and publicly-trading company S&P Global Inc.
The F&B provision has seen three iconic brands open their first UK venues outside London: Japanese-Peruvian restaurant group, Chotto Matte, Italian trattoria, Circolo Populare from Paris-based Big Mamma Group and cult coffee brand, Grind.
The official opening of No.1 St Michael’s took place as Relentless Developments and developer partner, Salboy, prepare to launch No.2 St Michael’s. This will provide a further 75,000 sq ft of premium space within the scheme’s 43-storey tower, alongside the 162-room W Hotel and 217 W Residences.
OBI Property, CBRE and Metis Real Estate supported Relentless with letting the commercial space and Kuits Solicitors has provided legal advice.
Neville, director at Relentless Developments, said: “Officially opening this building marks an exciting new chapter for a landmark development that has been 15 years in the making. We’ve worked hard to ensure everything from the premium facilities to the F&B operators were carefully curated to meet the needs of modern occupiers, while also investing heavily in sustainability so that the building meets the expectations of our tenants and the city. It’s amazing to see the building in full operation and alive with our tenants and I’d like to thank them for trusting us to create a new benchmark for quality and experience here in Manchester.
“As we launch phase two, we’re building on this success with an equally ambitious vision, developing work spaces that set new benchmarks for quality, sustainability and design, and that cement Manchester’s position as a global city of business.”
Craig added: “St Michaels is delivering transformation in this part of our city centre – and with it, a significant amount of world-class office and hospitality space. Every year, Manchester is attracting more global organisations, and we know that the city needs this type of high-quality accommodation to satisfy demonstrable demand. And its major programmes of redevelopment like this that maintains key investor confidence in Manchester as a great place to do business, that creates significant employment opportunities for our residents and supports our ongoing economic growth ambitions.”
