Global law firm becomes second anchor tenant
Top 10 global law firm, CMS, is set to become the second anchor tenant in the Heart of the City II scheme.
CMS, which has over 70 offices across over 40 countries, is set to reaffirm its future in Sheffield, relocating circa 350 staff from its current base at Victoria Quays to the scheme being delivered by Sheffield City Council.
The move will see CMS take 47,500 sq ft of premium Grade A office space within the same landmark building that is also the new home to HSBC and will preserve the firm’s presence as a major employer in the city.
The move further strengthens the emergence of Heart of the City II as a new financial and professional services district for the Sheffield City Region.
CMS will occupy the 26,000 sq ft that makes up 1 Charter Square, plus an additional 21,500 sq ft of adjoining space. The new office will be entirely self-contained and separate to HSBC, with a bespoke entrance, reception and signage facing onto Wellington Street and connecting to the impressive public realm of Charter Square.
Commenting on the announcement, Nalin Seneviratne, Director of City Centre Development at Sheffield City Council, said:
“This announcement marks a major vote of confidence in the Heart of the City II scheme. CMS, along with HSBC, brings a wide range of people, long-term into the city centre, creating an exciting buzz and interest in the proposed bars, restaurants, shops, leisure and hotels within the scheme.
“We’ve always said that this project needs to be flexible and able to adapt to changing circumstances and market conditions. This letting has shown our ability to deliver this, reconfiguring some larger retail units within the block to provide the scale of office CMS required, in the necessary timescale.”
Paul Sargent, Chief Executive of Queensberry, added:
“As the Council’s Strategic Development Partner for Heart of the City II, we see this as a significant milestone in the development of our vision for Sheffield. Our ambition has always been to deliver a new commercial district that can evolve over time in line with the wider region’s economy – this is a great example of the way that strategy is becoming a reality.
“We are particularly pleased about the way we have been able to accommodate CMS in the scheme by taking an adaptable approach and reworking the original design, therefore guaranteeing CMS’s long-term future in the city.”
Commenting on the move, Mark Haywood, Partner and Head of the North at CMS, said:
“We are delighted to reaffirm our commitment to Sheffield – and the North of England generally – in the most tangible way possible, by taking a new home for our people in the City for the next 20 years, with space to grow. CMS has grown by more than 20% in the North of England over the last 18 months as we consciously embrace the opportunities this vibrant region offers, with significant partner hires made in each of our real estate, pensions and commercial litigation sectors, with additional corporate, banking and construction capacity added across the board. These are exciting times for our Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield teams.”
