Manchester United have decided to end their lease after just two years and downsize their London office as part of a cost-cutting effort led by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is continuing to slash costs at Manchester United(Image: PA)
Manchester United are downsizing their office in London as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s relentless cost-cutting efforts. INEOS boss Ratcliffe has been desperately trying to save money since taking over control of United in February 2024 and that trend continues to this day.
Ratcliffe has been open in his belief that United must drastically reduce expenditure and has made around 450 staff redundancies since taking over. The petrochemicals billionaire has also taken away staff benefits and increased ticket prices at Old Trafford.
United announced record financial revenue of £666.5million, record commercial revenue of £333.3m and record matchday revenue of £160.3m in September. But the cost-cutting measures are continuing, with United’s staff based in London being moved from their current office in Kensington to a smaller site in Covent Garden.
The Daily Mail reports that United have cut short their 10-year lease in Kensington after just two years on the premises. There is understood to be a significant rent reduction involved, although the club have stressed that money-saving isn’t the primary reason for the move, with the new location considered to be more advantageous for a variety of reasons.
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United refused to comment on the move, which feels symbolic. United moved into their grand 23,000 square foot Kensington base, complete with a roof terrace and two bars, in 2023. It was considered state-of-the-art then, featuring an LED tunnel which was supposed to make staff feel like they were at Old Trafford.
But the arrival of Ratcliffe in February 2024 changed everything, with the 73-year-old hiring consultants to conduct an audit and identify areas where savings could be made. Hundreds of redundancies have followed and Ratcliffe has been unapologetic for his decisions.
Speaking on The Business podcast last month, Ratcliffe said: “The costs were just too high. There are some fantastic people at Manchester United, but there was also a level of mediocrity and it had become bloated. I got a lot of flak for the free lunches, but no-one’s ever given me a free lunch.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been unapologetic over his decisions(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“Manchester United has become mediocre,” Ratcliffe added in a separate interview last season which summed up his approach. “It is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. If you shy away from the difficult decisions, then nothing much is going to change.
“I know we get criticism in the press, but we do need to challenge the cost of running this club because what I want to be free for us to do is buy really good footballers, not spend so much of the money on infrastructure. We can’t run a business at a loss, which is where United have been in the last couple of years.”
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