Autotrader, the UK’s largest digital automotive marketplace, which was recently ranked as the UK’s 11th biggest news media company by Press Gazette, has opened its doors to a new 130,000 sq ft headquarters in Manchester’s Circle Square.
Designed by one of the UK’s leading office design and build company, Oktra, the project represents one of the city’s largest office fit-outs and creates a dynamic space that celebrates both identity and community.
Rather than leaning on familiar automotive cues, the brief centred on creating a workplace that could express Autotrader’s evolution and ambition as a digital-first business. The challenge was to design “an environment that would connect people, foster collaboration, and create a strong sense of identity at scale,” transforming a large, multi-floor building into a cohesive, experience-led destination that reflects how the business operates today and where it’s heading next.
READ MORE: Leeds agency launches website for rebranded educational tour operator
The building was designed around three core pillars – Journey, Landmark, and Fuel, with a vertical journey that connects all the floors into one continuous, flowing ecosystem.
Journey shapes how employees move through the building. Three sculptural staircases were installed to cut through multiple floors, transforming what could have been stacked office plates into a continuous vertical journey that links teams across six levels. Preserved structural openings were designed to encourage informal interactions and collaboration without reliance on lifts, turning movement through the building into a “cultural and spatial experience.”
Landmark gives Autotrader a visible presence both within the building and across Manchester. A dedicated ground-floor entrance, a large digital screen frontage, and three vehicles suspended in a dramatic barrel-roll formation provide a memorable and unique arrival experience. Inside, cars were positioned in pairs: heritage models grounded, modern vehicles elevated on illuminated plinths with digital integration, serving as a metaphor for the company’s shift from its magazine heritage to digital platform and creating a landmark for Manchester’s tech future.
Fuel focuses on community and engagement. Upper floors include a commercial kitchen serving hundreds of meals daily and adaptable event spaces, including an auditorium, podcast studio, and flexible gathering areas for talks, youth initiatives, and digital showcases.
Alison Ross MBE, chief people and operations officer at Autotrader, said: “It was really important that our new space felt uniquely Autotrader – and that’s exactly what we’ve achieved. It’s a better, more evolved version of who we are, and that’s been reflected in how positively our people have responded to it. Every detail has been thought through, and it’s enabled our teams to collaborate more naturally.”
Maddi Stevenson, design director at Oktra, added: “From the suspended vehicles in reception to the vertical staircases connecting the floors, every element contributes to telling the story of Autotrader’s evolution.”
The launch follows the appointment of Philip Westwood as managing director for Oktra North, to strengthen the company’s regional presence amid rising demand for high-quality, design-led workspaces across the Northern office market.
