Contractor appointed as Debenhams office conversion advances

AM Alpha has hired Russell WBHO to convert the historic Rylands building in Manchester into 300,000 sq ft of workspace, having opted not to sell the Market Street property. 

The German investor bought the former Debenhams department store for £87m in 2017 and won planning approval to redevelop it in January 2021. 

AM Alpha then put the grade two-listed property up for sale but no buyer emerged, prompting the investor to pull the trigger on the approved scheme. 

Russell WBHO has been appointed to deliver the redevelopment project as approved, and early-stage remediation of the building has begun. 

Designed by Jeffrey Bell Architects, the scheme will see the property completely refurbished. The upper floors will be converted into workspace, while the ground floor will comprise a shopping arcade. 

A four-storey rooftop extension will provide an additional 40,000 sq ft of offices. 

“We are delighted to be working with AM alpha to revitalise the historic Rylands building and position it in the market as a highly sustainable building,” said Gareth Russell, founder and managing director of Russell WBHO. 

“With our extensive experience in historic preservation and sustainable building, we will make AM Alpha’s vision a reality.” 

The main phase of work is scheduled to begin in the new year and completion is expected in early 2025. 

The building is designed to achieve net zero carbon status, targeting Breeam ‘excellent’ or Nabers 5* accreditation. 

“Working with listed buildings is always a great privilege,” said Stephan Schmid, senior vice president at AM Alpha. 

“We are proud to be able to give this historic Manchester landmark a new future and restore Rylands to its former glory in a very sustainable way. In this way, we are also helping to achieve Greater Manchester’s 2038 carbon neutrality target.” 

OBI and Barker Proudlove have been appointed as letting agents.