Tunafish in as Canada House refurb takes shape

LJ Partnership’s redevelopment of Canada House in Manchester is moving close to completion, with momentum on the lettings side added to by a 2,000 sq ft five-year deal with Tunafish Media.

The investor, which also owns the Albert Estate, its collection of period commercial buildings clustered around Albert Square, has invested £3m in the building, which it acquired off-market in October 2016 for £10.5m.

In August, sportswear brand Puma announced it would remain in the building and take an extra 3,500 sq ft, giving it occupation of the fifth and sixth floors.

OBI Property is sole leasing agent on Canada House and is providing project management on the transformation project. Workspace is the main contractor and Zerum provided planning advice.

The building’s infrastructure is being upgraded while a new cycle park will be installed in the basement, with a café, meeting space and screening room added to the ground floor. The available office suites ranging from 250 sq ft to 9,200 sq ft on the first, second, third and fourth floors will be fully refurbished.

Andrew Cowell, transaction and asset management at OBI, said: “There’s a proper buzz about Canada House, it’s building a community of occupiers who value their working environment.”

George Haddo, director at LJ Partnership, added: “We could not have asked for a better start to the transformation of Canada House. It’s clear there’s a lot of love for the building and it’s great to welcome diverse, modern and forward-thinking businesses.”

The work at Canada House will complete in two phases, with a range of office suites to be completed next month and the full project completed by the end of the year.