£100m investment in new Manchester base will create hundreds of jobs
Travel website Booking.com’s ground transportation division is set to open a new global headquarters building, Manchester Goods Yard at Enterprise City in the new St John’s Quarter.
The 12-year, 222,000 sq ft letting agreed today will provide Booking.com with the campus it needs to develop a unique set of ground transport products to help millions of Booking.com customers explore the world every day.
The deal, alongside its ambition to fit-out the building to become one of the UK’s very best workplaces, represents an investment of approximately £100m over the course of 10 years.
Booking.com will consolidate its four existing city centre sites – home to more than 1,500 colleagues across 201 Deansgate, Sunlight House, and 35 and 42 Fountain Street – into the new building.
During 2018 it has already created more than 75 new tech jobs in Manchester and is looking to hire another 200 new roles as soon as possible.
It plans to add many more over the next 18 months.
The deal confirms Booking.com as the anchor tenant of Allied London’s new Enterprise City tech campus, which is set within the St John’s regeneration masterplan on the site of the former Granada Studios.
Construction of Manchester Goods Yard will begin this year and is due to complete in 2020.
The office will be the second largest Booking.com location outside of its hub in Amsterdam.
Based in Manchester, Ian Brown is the chief executive of the transport division of Booking.com, which was named by website Glassdoor as one of the top 20 best employers in the country.
Mr Brown says that the new office and its planned investment will help it to continue to attract and retain the very best in UK and international tech talent.
“We are committed to the city of Manchester and to its future as one of Europe’s largest and most important tech hubs.
“We plan to develop Manchester Goods Yard into one of the most exciting and dynamic workplaces in the UK,” he said.
Booking.com is part of Booking Holdings Inc, the world’s third largest e-commerce company and one of Fortune’s most admired tech companies alongside Google, Amazon, and Facebook.
Booking Holdings, recently invested $500m in Chinese ride hailing app Didi Chuxing and already operates the Rentalcars.com and Rideways brands, alongside Booking.com.
Manchester Goods Yard will be the global hub for its ground transport products.
Mr Brown said: “Our operations in Manchester form a critical part of our global infrastructure and we have big ambitions to grow here over the next 12 years.
“To do this, we need to continue to invest in our people, our offices and technology, and our local community – not least in education and enterprise.
“We’re proud to be anchoring Enterprise City as it establishes itself as a hub for talent and collaboration between tech, media and creative businesses both large and small.”
Mike Ingall, chief executive of Allied London, added: “We have formed a great working relationship with the senior management at Booking.com, which has enabled us to reinforce the company’s commitment to Manchester.
“Enterprise City at St John’s provides vital infrastructure to creative, digital and tech companies, across 10 buildings in total.
“We’re proud to be working with companies such as Booking.com at Enterprise City, ensuring the cluster will have an international role in the tech and media sectors.”
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “This a major vote of confidence in Manchester by a leading global name which underlines the city’s attractiveness and will open up further job opportunities in our flourishing tech sector.
“As the anchor tenant in Enterprise City, Booking.com’s ground transport global headquarters will also help stimulate Europe’s fastest growing tech and creative hub.”
