Slater & Gordon rightsizes Manchester footprint
Nine years after signing for a 104,000 sq ft office on Mosley Street, the law firm has relocated to 12,300 sq ft within The Tootal Buildings in a move that demonstrates how attitudes to work have changed in recent years.
Slater & Gordon signed for the whole of 58 Mosley Street in 2014 but less than 10 years later – amid a drastic societal shift in how companies view workspace – the firm has moved to a single floor within XLB’s Oxford Street building.
It is understood that the law firm negotiated a lease surrender with 58 Mosley Street landlord M&G to allow it to relocate.
“Slater &Gordon enables our colleagues to work digitally and in an agile manner,” explained Alexander Leverett, head of workplace and facilities at Slater & Gordon.
“The focus on technology, combined with an opportunity created under our existing lease enabled us to look at alternative premises in Manchester that would align with our current and future business needs.”
Slater & Gordon has been working to reduce its Manchester footprint for some time; the company sub-let a 30,000 sq ft chunk of 58 Mosley Street to workspace consultancy Instant in 2021 and has been occupying around half of its remaining 70,000 sq ft in recent months.
Now that Slater & Gordon has moved, M&G, which acquired the building from New Ireland Assurance for £50m in 2022, can press ahead with its redevelopment plans.
The law firm’s move to Tootal follows an “extensive search” for a new Manchester home, Leverett added.
“When you enter Tootal, there is a real sense of community created by the communal spaces and amenities provided within them.
“It was great to see sustainability credentials already in place for the building. Small touches like bike pumps and tools for cyclists, really make the difference and shows the building managers are really in tune with what occupants want and need.”
Sustainability was a key driver behind Slater & Gordon’s move to Tootal, which has an EPC A rating.
Ed Keany, director at Edwards & Co, joint agent on Tootal, said: “The Tootal Buildings continue to attract quality businesses.
“The quality of workspace and amenities available to occupiers, along with championing wellbeing and sustainability, really differentiates Tootal from other options in the Manchester market.”
Many more to come, what’s the point on paying for an office if people refuse to come into town?
By Gilly
Love this building. Always one of my favourite in Manchester.
By Anonymous
But if they are told to come in Gilly then they come in ..or work elsewhere! It’s how the real world works once you leave college.
By Anonymous
The 2014 modern build on Mosley Street is an architectural carbuncle of glass and concrete, a real grim building that you can see is becoming shabby already. The terracotta grade 2 listed beauty on Great Bridgewater Street is an architectural gem with plenty of aesthetic appeal, despite its age it looks to be in far better condition than the 2014 build. I know which one I would take pleasure/pride in walking through the doors each morning! I can see Manchester becoming a city of vacant glass and concrete monstrosities if this hasty development continues.
By Paige
“Rightsizing”
By Gordon
Agree , good to see this beautiful office being taken. These older ones are harder to lease but sooo worth it.
By Anonymous
Get them back into the workplace!
They’re going to kill the city centres off with this lazy , can’t be bothered attitude to the workplace!
By Manc
Slater & Gordon sold part of their business to carpenters plus transferred staff which would have played a part as well
By Tomo
Personally I’d just get rid of them. If it can be done working from home it can be done working from anywhere. That’s a big pool of workers.The tide is turning though. Agree that Tootal is a work of art.
By Anonymous
@Manc: nonsense, the city centre was absolutely heaving today. Thousands of people spending and enjoying themselves. The exact opposite of killing it off… vibrant is how I would describe it.
By Nick
The more reasons to build housing in the city centre which attracts long term living. People would come into the office as they wouldn’t have along commute.
By Anonymous
I work in an office with 50 desks on Fountain Street, were are usually given a choice to come in or not, last Friday there were 3 of us. I went to a meeting at a surveyors and city planners on York Street and the only person in their office was the boss, he said he can’t get people to come in so they go in once a week, these are city planners, my word.
By CR
Interesting term “rightsizing”. I will be curious to see if this term is used when applied to other cases and cities.
By Chris
Fantastic to see such a historic gem in the city achieving EPC A ratings. if they can operate efficiently, historic buildings are without doubt the most carbon friendly options out there.
By Paul