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.