Manchester

Fast-moving, vibrant and metropolitan, Manchester has plenty to attract new businesses. From the busy financial service companies to the creative agencies that set up camp here, it's widely considered to be the UK's second city, and it's easy to see why.

City Center

What makes the City Center an attractive option?

For businesses looking to be at the center of attention, there's no place quite like setting up camp in Manchester city center. It's busy, full of life, and gives your company access to some of the biggest names in the city.

Companies such as the Latham & Watkins, KPMG and the Co-operative Group are located in the city center, with offices based in the Central Business District and the NOMA scheme - two popular developments for businesses.

Transport Links

Transport in and out of the city centre is pretty accessible. The tram network makes getting around easy, and you're only about half an hour's drive from Manchester Airport. This means a city center base can unlock access to just about anywhere. The three main train stations in Manchester - Piccadilly, Victoria and Oxford Road, provide you with easy access to the rest of the UK.

Amenities

Outside of its benefits for businesses, Manchester is ideal for creating a work-life balance. Nightlife is huge here, as well as dining out, bars, pubs and shopping, so there's plenty to benefit both your client meetings, team nights out and off-site working, as well as social life.

Theatres, the Opera House and Spinningfields are just a few places in Manchester that provide ideal opportunities for after-work socialising.

Northern Quarter

Media and technology are two industries that are showing signs of growth in this area of Manchester.

What is on offer in the Northern Quarter?

The Northern Quarter is fast becoming the Shoreditch of Manchester, and it's expected to only get better, particularly when the HS2 development begins.

Transport Links

Manchester Piccadilly is easily accessible from this part of the city, and as the HS2 begins development, the area will be the ideal place to travel further throughout England - London will be little more than an hour away.

Amenities

Being close to the city center, the Northern Quarter is just a few minutes walk from all the bars, restaurants and pubs of the center, but also features a great selection in this area alone - ideal for client meetings and lunchtime breaks.

If being at the center of an expanding city is important to your business, the Northern Quarter is ideal.

Spinningfields

What does this area have to offer?

This is an entirely new business and leisure quarter of the city that is continually developing as demand for this area grows. Spinningfields mixes high-quality office space that has attracted some big corporate names, such as RBS, HSBC, Barclays, and Deloitte.

Amenities

Alongside being a fantastic area for large corporate firms, it is also known for its excellent leisure facilities in the City Centre. There is also a great selection of bars and restaurants here catering to a range of different cuisines, for example, Australasia, Iberica and The Dockyard.

Oxford Road

Which business sectors does this area attract?

If you're looking for a space that gives you access to the arts, surrounding you with like-minded companies in the tech, science, music and dance industries, Oxford Road could work very well. Circle Square is a collaborative space with up to 1.22 million square feet of sustainable office space.

The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University are also located here, meaning this is a great area to be based if being connected to educational institutions and their students are important to your business.

This area of Manchester is expected to become fairly developed in the future, as well as becoming pretty future-facing in terms of infrastructure. Its university, businesses and heritage make it a desirable destination, as well as being at the heart of the city's science and medical industries. Here you'll find the university's medicine, biology and health departments, as well as the city's hospitals.

Transport Links

Oxford Road features one of the city's main train stations, as well as benefiting from the city's tram network, so getting to other parts of Manchester - and the rest of the UK - is simple.

Amenities

Despite the proximity to the universities, the bars in this area aren't as student-focused as you may assume. Office workers are more than catered for in this part of town, as well as providing plenty of lunch options. All Saints Park is also ideal for getting some fresh air on a lunch break.

Media City and Salford Quays

Which business sectors does this area attract?

As the name suggests, this area is popular with the media industry. Its just-off-centre location means firms that settle here can benefit from the cheaper prices, while still having adequate access to all the amenities of central Manchester.

Retail and leisure facilities are set to become popular here, while the creative and digital industries are really thriving here at present. Media City is home to BBC North, ITV, Coronation Street, and SIS Live among many others. The University of Salford is also in this area, as well as Dock10 and some 250 businesses.

If you're looking for a base for a digital start-up, you're sure to be among like-minded businesses in Media City.

Transport Links/ Amenities

Accessible by tram, it's an area that's well connected - just like the rest of Manchester. Its out-of-town destination makes it slightly less of a big night out, but there are certainly plenty of options when it comes to work socialising, meetings and team lunches. Team activities are also plentiful here, with boat cruises, five-a-side and netball pitches available locally.

If you're looking for your next office space, let Workthere make it easy. View offices in Manchester