Co-working operator comes to Spring Gardens

Shared workspace provider Central Working will be opening an 18,000 sq ft facility at 55 Spring Gardens later this month, in partnership with landlord Aviva Investors.

Central Working established its first base in Manchester four years ago, in a unit on Deansgate occupied on the ground floor by Grindsmith. That location will now close, to enable the move to offices in 55 Spring Gardens.

Spread across four floors with space for 400 people, the new club is three times as large as the Deansgate hub.

According to Central Working, alongside rising local demand, the expansion was also sparked by an increase in the number of London-based businesses hiring Manchester coding and programming staff to work from ‘satellite’ offices.

Central Working members will have access to its UK-wide network, which includes 11 clubs across London, Cambridge and the South East.

The new club will include hot desking space and private offices, as well as a free-to-use events auditorium, meeting rooms, and extensive cyclist and changing facilities. It is due to open on Monday 18 December.

Grant Powell, chief executive of Central Working, said: “Since we first launched in Manchester four years ago, the city’s shared workspace industry has flourished and businesses today are spoiled for choice. The demand is still very high, not just from local companies but from further afield too. With competition for tech talent raging, we’re seeing an increasing number of businesses in the South hiring Manchester programmers. The era of the centralised HQ is over, and businesses are instead launching a series of remote hubs in order to access new pools of talent.”

Christian Anderton, asset manager, real estate, Aviva Investors, said: “As one of the largest commercial real estate owners in Manchester, we are delighted to be working in partnership with Central Working launching the new city centre club at 55 Spring Gardens. Aviva Investors has a long-term commitment to developing and investing in schemes that enhance the city; including Eleven York Street, 201 Deansgate, 11 Portland Street, Atlas Business Park and Enterprise City at St John’s.

“55 Spring Gardens expands on this commitment and offers the city’s thriving business sector, and in particular Manchester’s technology talent, a state-of-the-art hub in which to innovate and grow. By providing an environment where people can live, work play and learn, the city offers scope for robust long-term rental growth.”