Insurance giant latest tenant to sign up for office development

Insurance firm Willis Towers Watson is the latest business to move into a thriving new corner of Manchester city centre.

The Dublin insurance giant is moving its North West operation in new offices in No8 in First Street

The firm has agreed a new ten-year lease taking 11,590 sq. ft. on the sixth floor of the building.

Mark Baldwin, associate director at Avison Young – the leasing agent on behalf of GMPVF – said: “Securing a global name of Willis Towers Watson’s calibre is a massive endorsement for N08, which already has a high-profile tenant mix with the likes of Odeon, WSP and Gazprom on board.

“The company’s arrival now leaves only one final floor in the building, 26,500 sq ft of Grade A office space with a largely column-free floorplate, that offers flexible working layouts for businesses looking to provide a unique location for their workforce.”

N08 First Street stands in the centre of the £500m First Street development, surrounded by a wide range of cultural and leisure attractions, which includes global arts and culture destination HOME, INNSIDE Manchester hotel, The Gasworks, Indian Tiffin Room, Wood Manchester, Junkyard Golf, Starbucks, Pizza Express, Sainsbury’s and Bunny Jackson’s

This winter, the site also played host to The Lodge, a pop-up tipi which housed an events programme centred around sustainability, culture and craft.

Avison Young and Savills are joint agents on the scheme and JLL were advisors to Willis Towers Watson.

The building was designed by Fletcher Priest Architects with a construction programme delivered by Rayner Rowen.