Mission Labs signs at Arbeta
The cloud communications specialist has taken 11,000 sq ft on a 10-year lease at the north Manchester office building.
Mission Labs, which was acquired last year by listed tech business Gamma Communications, intends to double its headcount over the next year as part of growth plans both in Manchester and Rossendale.
OBI is sole leasing agent on Arbeta., which was launched in summer 2019 as a £10m redevelopment of the One Central Park building, originally developed by Ask.
PRP Architects designed the project, which involved bringing three buildings together and features a 9,100 sq ft central, full height atrium.
Damian Hanson, co-founder of Mission Labs, said: “The new space that we have secured provides us with a brand new, welcoming HQ that is right in the heart of the action.
“As we continue to rapidly create new roles and accelerate our headcount, we know just how important a great working environment is for attracting and retaining talent.”
Arbeta is owned by Manchester City Council and is operated by Manchester Creative Digital Assets, the same team being responsible for The Sharp Project, Space Studios and Screen Manchester.
Mission Labs said that it has looked to “validate a working model to the future” with its staff in light of Covid, with the result being a hybrid working model.
The Arbeta HQ will officially open later in the summer with a ground-up design and fit-out currently in progress.
Rob Page, managing director of Arbeta, said: “While the future of the office has been much discussed, the approach taken by Mission Labs is refreshing, they’ve been able to move quickly and react to the changing requirements and needs of their team and have still taken the same size of space in the building we have discussed with them from the start.”
Andrew Cowell, transactions and asset management at OBI, said: “The deal with Mission Labs is a strong indicator of the continued strength and resilience of the Manchester market and it clearly demonstrates businesses, especially in the tech, digital and creative sector, are open to using their workspaces differently.”
