Following a strong start to the year for the Manchester office market, a further 53,300 sq ft of refurbished office space is hitting the pipeline with the completion of Hillcrest PERE’s multi-million pound transformation of the 95,000 sq ft Grade II Listed Arkwright office building, in Manchester City Centre.
Recent findings from the Manchester Office Agents Forum (MOAF) Q1 report show that the Manchester office market has experienced a strong start to 2025, with continued demand for high-quality refurbished workspaces. With scarce new build availability, occupiers are turning to highly curated and revived best-in-class spaces, with Arkwright well positioned to satisfy the pent-up occupier demand.
Following Hillcrest PERE’s acquisition of Arkwright last year, substantial works have been undertaken to reimagine and refurbish the building into state-of-the-art workspace, with an exemplary occupier experience.
The design vision for Arkwright was created by leading interior design and fit out firm, Claremont and the project delivery partner, Falcon Rock. Over the course of the 6 month refurbishment programme, a new art deco inspired reception and business lounge have been created together with a range of fully fitted and furnished and Grade A office suites. Furthermore, state-of-the-art amenities including a wellness centre, gym and shower /cycle hub have been incorporated into the building to compliment the green space externally at Parsonage Gardens.
The newly launched space includes CAT A offices on single floors, from 11,960 sq ft up to 14,900 sq ft, and 26,000 sq ft of fitted and furnished workspace in a range of spaces, with self-contained offices providing upwards of 20 workstations.
Arkwright is also home to well-known, high-profile occupiers including the head office of restaurant group San Carlo, premium flexible workspace operator Orega and leading global engineering, architecture and consultancy Ramboll.
Jamie Mount of Hillcrest commented: “We are delighted to deliver such high quality office space in such an attractive setting within the centre of Manchester. Hillcrest was set up specifically to address these types of demand supply imbalances and has the appetite to do so again in Manchester and elsewhere.”
Robin Matthews, Director at Falcon Rock, commented: “We had a clear plan for the investment into Arkwright having identified significant opportunities to upgrade the space and create a unique occupier experience within an exceptional building. There aren’t many buildings like this in Manchester City Centre and even fewer with so much green space on the doorstep. We are thrilled to be delivering a workspace of this calibre to occupiers at a time when demand is high and quality space availability is low.”
Letting agents for Arkwright are Colliers and Edwards.
Dominic Pozzoni, Head of the Manchester office at Colliers, said: “This year is showing all the signs of becoming a high-performance year for Grade A quality, refurbished office space. Best in class refurbishments like Arkwright will go a long way in satisfying the occupier demand we are seeing across a range of business sectors.”
Andrew Timms, Director at Edwards, said: “The standard of works completed at Arkwright have revitalised the iconic building and created spaces to align with occupier requirements. The range of workspaces on offer maximise flexibility for interested potential occupiers.”
