Manchester’s CIS Tower up for sale 

Castlebrooke Investments is seeking offers for the freehold of the iconic 28-storey building, which is earmarked to be converted into a £150m “vertical neighbourhood”. 

Castlebrooke bought the CIS Tower in Manchester’s 20-acre NOMA district for £66m in 2017. Two years later, Trafford Council approved a £60m loan to Castlebrooke for the refurbishment of the grade two-listed building. 

Now, Colliers and BSB Investment + Development have been instructed to market the 390,000 sq ft skyscraper, which was rebranded last year as Society ahead of a comprehensive overhaul. 

Once work completes, Society would offer 420,000 sq ft of grade A workspace and leisure accommodation across three distinct elements. 

• Tower – 143,527 sq ft of workspace across 26 floors  
• Podium – 207,379 sq ft of the “largest and most flexible office floorplates in Manchester” – up to 34,300 sq ft 
• Street – food and beverage, retail, and leisure amenities at street level.

Society is “perfectly placed to take advantage of [Manchester’s] supply/demand imbalance and will be the only deliverable solution to provide over 250,000 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation in the city,” according to sales documents.

Built in the 1960s as Manchester’s first skyscraper, the tower was previously occupied by Cooperative Insurance. However, the building is now vacant. 

A spokesperson from Castlebrooke said: “Castlebrooke has worked strategically alongside core stakeholders to put measures in place to deliver what is now believed to be the best ‘oven-ready’ redevelopment opportunity in Manchester. 

“The global prestige and iconic reputation of the former CIS Tower, alongside Castlebrooke’s compelling vision for the scheme, has brought about interest from investors/developers across the globe. As such, we believe now is the right time to offer the opportunity up to one of the many interested parties to take the asset forward.”