Manchester clothing firm acquires £6.35m Deansgate HQ

Wholesale clothing supplier Whispering Smith has completed the purchase of 274 Deansgate, enabling its relocation from Great Ducie Street.

Colliers represented the white label clothing business on its acquisition of the five-storey, 23,688 sq ft office building. WT Gunson acted for the vendor, a private client

Whispering Smith supplies retail and e-commence brands including Asos.com and Zalando. The company has showrooms in London, New York, Düsseldorf and Madrid. The third-generation family business also has a portfolio of fashion brands, including Brave Soul, Good for Nothing and Night Addict.

Director Rajan Kumar said: “From when my father, Lal Kumar first began importing clothing to Manchester in the sixties from the Far East, to today; I am proud to say we have grown to become one of the UK’s largest importers, wholesalers and distributors of fashion for major retailers and e-tailers globally. Manchester has been central to our success.

“Our acquisition of 274 Deansgate not only represents a great investment for us as a business but also demonstrates our commitment to Manchester and it’s thriving ecommerce community.”

The building is also home to high-end bike retailer Pinarello, which will be remaining in its premises on the ground floor.

“Born and bred in Manchester, Whispering Smith is a prime example of a family business that started from humble beginnings and has grown from strength to strength,” said Paddy Kennedy of Colliers’ national offices team.

He continued: “274 Deansgate represented a rare opportunity for Whispering Smith to acquire a prominent asset in a sought-after area of the city centre, while at the same time providing the ideal headquarters from which to operate their business and continue their growth trajectory.”