Accountancy firm makes city centre move
ACCOUNTANCY firm Grant Thornton have made a move in Sheffield.
The company has agreed to become the anchor tenant at the former National Union of Mineworkers building, which has been vacant for 25 years.
120 staff are being relocated in the move from the outskirts of Sheffield city centre after signing a 10-year lease with Quest Property for the landmark building.
Grant Thornton will occupy 14,000 sq ft of Grade A office space at the former NUM building in Holly Street when it moves to the site from Broadfield Court in 2017.
Paul Houghton, senior partner at Grant Thornton in Sheffield, said: “The announcement of our move into Sheffield city centre comes at a hugely exciting time for Grant Thornton as we continue to establish ourselves as a category-of-one firm with a differentiated offer from others in our sector.
“We’re delighted to have agreed terms to relocate to the former NUM building in the heart of Sheffield’s professional and financial services business district. It is an iconic building in Sheffield and the refurbishment now underway will see it transformed from its present, somewhat tired state into a key landmark within the city’s business community.”
Barnsley-based property company Quest Property has secured the long-lease of the building and the adjacent car park from the NUM, and is overseeing the redevelopment.
The building’s £5.5m renovation, funded by a collaboration between CBRE, the Sheffield City Region JESSICA Fund and Sheffield City Council’s Growing Places Fund, is expected to be completed at the start of 2017.
Bar chain Pitcher and Piano, owned by Marston’s, will occupy one of the three ground floor restaurant units, and Quest are in discussions with other potential tenants for the remaining two.
Matthew Stephens, development director at Quest, said: “The refurbishment of this historic and iconic building in the city centre is a massive boost for the city.
“And with such a prestigious firm as Grant Thornton taking all three office floors as their regional base, we can see the city’s central business district really starting to take shape.”
