Advertising giant to create new business campus in central Manchester

WPP Campus

Advertising firm WPP has announced it is to create a purpose-built campus in the centre of Manchester.

The new office at the former Granada studios site in Castlefield will be home to five agencies.

The new offices at Allied London’s Enterprise City development will be home to MediaCom, Wavemaker, Code Computer Love, Kinetic and Cheetham Bell.

WPP has signed a 15-year lease with Allied London for a 82,000-sqft office space.

The building will be designed by BDG architecture + design and will be split over eight floors to provide ‘collaborative and dynamic’ co-working areas for the agencies.

MediaCom is currently based in offices in Spinningfields, which it has occupied since 2013. It will move around 400 staff to the new site.

The new campus will be a creative hub when it opens in early 2022, offering learning and development for the industry and those wanting to work in marketing and communications.

The new building will also be home to Allied London’s media and technology co-working space All Work & Social.

The campus will be a flexible and inclusive working environment with wellbeing at the heart of its design.

The building will also include a roof terrace with views across the city, as well as a café, bar and business event space.

Karen Blackett, UK Country Manager for WPP, said: “WPP campuses not only give our people amazing, inspiring spaces in which to work, learn and create, but provide our clients with easier access to our expertise.

“The UK is our second largest market, and by building a brand-new home for our agencies and a creative hub for the city, we’re investing in both our future and in the future economy of Manchester.”

Michael Ingall, chief executive of Allied London, said: “The co-working spaces in particular will allow SMEs in the media, creative and tech industries to benefit from being located close to some of the world’s largest companies.

“Enterprise City is growing quickly, and with great tech and media companies joining the creative cluster alongside the TV & film studios and The Factory, we believe we’re going to create a place with a real buzz that modern industries will flock to.”

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