E-commerce platform moves to revamped city centre office building

The redeveloped Leeds city centre office building, Old School, is set to welcome e-commerce platform Shift Commerce.

Kennedy Wilson, the real estate investment company, secured the five-year lease for the entire third floor for Shift Commerce.

Approximately 11,000 sq ft of creative workspace on the first and second floors remains available to lease.

The 21,464 sq ft building dates to the 1870s and was originally constructed for the Leeds School Board.

Located adjacent to Millennium Square on the corner of Calverley Street and Great George Street, Old School comprises Grade A workspace targeted at the creative, professional and corporate business sectors.

The building is also home to the new street food and craft beer concept, Assembly Underground.

Kennedy Wilson’s refurbishment of the Grade-II listed building includes the restoration of the double helix staircase and exposure of the octagonal roof and barrel-vaulted ceiling on the top floor.

Old School now features a range of new services such as LED lighting, Mitsubishi fan coil heating/cooling system, lifts, showers and lockers. A further benefit includes inbuilt digital connectivity with 1 Gb of data provided to each floor.

Nick Judge, director of asset management at Kennedy Wilson, said: “This spectacular new office scheme, complemented by a new vibrant street food and bar concept, brings much needed Grade A office space to Leeds, a city benefiting from significant growth.

“The decision by Shift Commerce to take-up one-third of the available space and commit to the project at the practical completion stage highlights the unique opportunity this fantastic workspace offers to the Leeds market.”

JLL and WSB are the appointed agents for the office scheme.