GALLERY | Inside Autotrader’s Manchester HQ
Cementing its presence in the North, Oktra has released images of the fit-out and design of the online car marketplace’s 130,000 sq ft home at No3 Circle Square.
The release follows the appointment of a Northern managing director in March – Philip Westwood, who joined the London-headquartered design and build specialist from Overbury.
Westwood has more than 30 years of experience in the built environment and held director positions at both Overbury and Claremont Group Interiors. He has been given the mandate to grow Oktra’s Northern presence, building on its success with projects like CBTax’s and Mattillion’s Manchester spaces.
“The region continues to see strong demand for innovative workplaces, and I’m looking forward to building on Oktra’s momentum, strengthening client relationships and accelerating growth in the North,” Westwood told Bdaily in April.
Oktra’s work on AutoTrader’s fit-out has turned it space at Bruntwood SciTech’s No3 Circle Square into a space that celebrates the company’s transition from magazine to website, as well as its passion for cars.
Regarding the design process, Oktra design director Maddi Stevenson said: “Autotrader’s workplace is built around three pillars – Journey, Landmark and Fuel – translating the company’s identity into a spatial experience. From the suspended vehicles in reception to the vertical staircases connecting the floors, every element contributes to telling the story of Autotrader’s evolution.”
Autotrader chief people and operations officer Alison Ross 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.”
In addition to offices, the space includes a commercial kitchen, podcast studio, event space, and an auditorium.
Autotrader’s 130,000 sq ft lease was one of the largest city centre office deals of 2025 in Manchester. The company occupies seven and a half floors of the Oxford Road building, which was built by GMI Construction and designed by Bridge Architects.
Autotrader is not new to Manchester – prior to signing for space No3 Circle Square, it occupied 75,000 sq ft at No1 First Street.
Click any image to launch gallery. All images provided by Words and Pixels.
Great looking office. Circle square is flying now.
By Anonymous
Amazing celebration of the motor car in the centre of a city that is so hostile to this means of transport.
By Bentley Driver
It would be interesting to see actual photos of the interior and not just AI-assisted renders, or at the very least heavily tinkered-with ones (unless Auto Trader is saving money by employing blurry ghosts) as it looks genuinely interesting, particularly how they assembled the car bodies up there (or is this part of the magic?).
Is the Range Rover fitted out as a meeting room still on the roof terrace at Bruntwood’s Neo?
By Ceremy Glarkson
@BentleyDriver
Unless you are a taxi driver, disabled or emergency services, why are you driving in the city centre?
By Levelling Up Manager
@Ceremy Glarkson
It’s just a long exposure.
By MainRoadMary