The European arm of Sony Interactive has agreed to lease 65,000 sq ft of space at the former HQ of the Liverpool Echo “in one of the largest City Centre deals of the decade” in the city.
The entertainment giant has exchanged to lease three floors in the Echo Place development on Old Hall Street and will relocate 500 staff from Wavertree Technology Park on the outskirts of the city, where it has been based since 1996.
Last autumn, Dubai investor Select Group acquired the Echo building from Reach, the publishing group formerly known as Trinity Mirror. The refit of the former newspaper building is underway and is set to feature 60,000 sq ft of office space, a 207-bed hotel and 26,000 sq ft of retail.
The building was vacated by the Liverpool Echo, which moved 300 staff to St Paul’s Square in April 2018. The hotel has been leased to Meliá Hotels International Group for its Innside brand and is due to open in spring 2020.
A restaurant and bar is set to be built at street level, while a sky bar will be situated on the 17th floor. Paradigm Property Consultants represented the Reach and Select joint venture as development manager and agent.
Worthington Owen represented Sony Interactive in negotiating the letting and described the deal as “one of the largest City Centre deals of the decade in Liverpool”.
