EY joins Barbirolli Square exodus
EY has agreed to lease three floors of offices at Two St Peter’s Square in Manchester, with the firm set to move there in 2017.
The first tenant to commit to the 11-storey city centre building, which is being developed by Fred and Peter Done’s Mosley Street Ventures, EY will sign a 15-year lease to take a total of 41,628 sq ft of space across the eighth, ninth and 10th floors.
Laing O’Rourke has started the redevelopment of the existing site and EY is expected to move all of its Manchester operations from 100 Barbirolli Square, where the firm currently employs 450 people, to the finished Two St Peter’s Square building from mid-2017.
EY’s move is the latest in a series of departures from Babirolli Square by professional services firms, with PwC going to Spinningfields, and international law firm DLA Piper vacating to 1 St Peter’s Square.
Simon Allport, North West Senior Partner at EY, said: “Two St Peter’s Square will be an outstanding development in a flourishing area for business and culture in Manchester, following the transformation of St Peter’s Square, the town hall and the Central Library.
“The building’s convenient location, environmental efficiency and leading edge design will create the ideal environment for our North West people and clients to work in, as well as act as an important regional hub for the wider UK firm.
“The North West is a hugely important market for EY, and this deal represents our continued commitment to growing our business, helping our people and clients to thrive, and supporting our communities here in the region.”
Fred Done said: “We are delighted to have secured this letting which justifies our decision to commence the development. To have a tenant with the standing of EY as our first pre-let is exciting for all of the team at MSV and we are confident other tenants will soon follow.”
The development will comprise 161,113 sq ft of space in total, and have 5,142 sq ft of ground floor leisure space and a two-storey underground car park for 72 vehicles. Two St Peter’s Square is targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating to create a highly sustainable development.
Cushman & Wakefield (Jonathan Baucher) and SGH Martineau (James Spreckley) advised EY.
DTZ (Ken Bishop) and Myersons (Andrew Chapman) advised Mosley Street Ventures.
