Ancoats Revival Shows Hipster Districts Are Not Finished

Courtesy of CBRE Manchester
The Express Building, An Ancoats Landmark

Ancoats was one of the red-hot growth districts of pre-pandemic Manchester, hoovering up demand in the small-to-midsized tech and creative sectors. But its mix of coworking offices and independent retail and leisure businesses made it particularly vulnerable to coronavirus die-back.

But that hasn’t happened, CBRE Manchester said. A strong community built around shared workspaces and funky coffee shops has made the district resilient.

“Ancoats is driven by its community, which has come together during COVID-19," CBRE Associate Director Jonathan Cook said. "The food and beverage offering at Ancoats has drawn consumers in from across the region just as it did pre-lockdown, and the area continues to expand with new residential being developed and further schemes proposed.”

Manchester City Council’s plans to pedestrianise Great Ancoats Street, and the prospect of 1M SF of new office development on the Central Retail Park site, add to the momentum.

CBRE’s Manchester office agency team has been appointed by Wittington Investments to market the Express Building, an Ancoats landmark.

Workplace accelerator Huckletree occupies more than 25K SF in the 77.5K SF block, which is surrounded by a cluster of independent businesses including Manchester’s only Michelin Star restaurant. CBRE and OBI are marketing the remaining circa 52K SF at Express Buildings.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Manchester Newsletters
Related Stories

Morningstar Releases New Details On Over 350K SF In Q3 Office Leases

Weil Gotshal Wind-Down Leaves 830K SF Hole In America's Office Market

'Distress Is Finally Trading': Investors Chasing Big Discounts On Boston Office

Office Recovery Moving Faster Than Expected, CoStar Finds

How Microsoft, Coca-Cola And Amazon Are Adapting Their Offices For AI Age

Hof Wonen Acquires 251 Social Rental Houses In New Mixed-Use Project In The Hague

Related, Oxford Land Tenant For Top Floors Of 70 Hudson Yards

BXP Execs See Better Returns In Building Offices Than Buying Them

Downtown Office Tower Sells At Foreclosure Auction For $260M

Houston's Office Woes Are Getting Too Expensive To Fix

As The Future Of The Office Continues To Evolve, WeWork Is Bringing Clients A Tailored Workplace Solution

The 'Zombie' Building Mirage: How Owners Who Can't Transact Are Stirring The Market