Lettings latest: The Pinnacle; Manchester United; Peel Group

SPORTS agency KMA has moved from The Chancery in Manchester’s Spring Gardens to the nearby Pinnacle building in King Street.

It has taken the 1,900 sq ft top floor at £30/sq ft on a five-year lease.

Other occupiers include ASK, Quilter Cheviot, Phoenix Equity Partners and RGL Forensics.

WHR Property Consultants handled the letting for landlord Legal and General.

Anthony Howcroft of WHR said: “This new letting reinforces our belief that the city centre office market is becoming more buoyant with rental levels are starting to grow again, which is very encouraging.”

Jones Lang LaSalle is the joint letting agent. 

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MANCHESTER United has taken a lease on 12,550 sq ft over two floors at 701 Chester Road, close to the Old Trafford stadium.

The building, owned by London-based O&H Properties will house the club’s commercial departments.

Letting agent Conrad O’Neill, director of Canning O’Neill, said: “We are delighted to have secured Manchester United as a tenant at 701 Chester Road.

“Clearly, the proximity to the stadium was a major factor in Manchester United’s decision to take accommodation at the building, but the flexible deal and competitive rent on offer were also important to them.”

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PEEL Group said it achieved more than 40 office and industrial lettings in the Merseyside area in 2013, ranging in size from 200 sq ft to 60,000 sq ft.

At Princes Dock there were nine office lettings totalling over 20,000 sq ft.

Property manager Liza Marco said: “2013 has seen a large number of lettings in Peel’s Merseyside property portfolio. The wide range of unit sizes available allows us to cater for all type of business requirements. Most significantly as the sites fall within the Mersey Water Enterprise Zone occupiers are able to make significant financial saving on their occupational costs.“

Patrick Hughes, associate director at Legat Owen, one of the agents acting on the Merseyside industrial portfolio, said: “We have now begun to see a turn in the market and the 40 deals that we have done over the past 12 months, I think is a good reflection of this. We have seen a range of occupiers move into the various industrial estates and business parks within the portfolio from other locations and in addition it has been really encouraging to see occupiers who have been with Peel for many years starting to expand their businesses within the portfolio.”