Leaders say the move ‘illustrates Manchester’s international impact’(Image: Bruntwood SciTech)

Puma will soon move into its new £87m city centre UK headquarters, relocating from London in a move leaders say ‘illustrates Manchester’s international impact’.

Developers Bruntwood SciTech have announced it has finished construction of a new 15-storey office block called No. 3 Circle Square, on Oxford Road.

The 267,000 sq ft facility is where the German fashion and sports giant will call home, alongside a host of household names like AutoTrader. Other tenants already in the Circle Square complex, built on a former BBC site, include tech behemoths Hewlett Packard and Roku.

Puma said it was making the move from the capital because the firm wanted to be ‘surrounded by such a strong line up of [the fashion] industry’ and ‘find somewhere in the heart of Manchester’s thriving tech community’, said its UK managing director Lucynda Davies.

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She added in April, when the move north was confirmed: “Being based at Circle Square will also open up a host of opportunities to tap into the city’s creative talent pool and strengthen our existing links with academic partners like Manchester Metropolitan University – of which we get the added benefit of Bruntwood SciTech being a partner.”

At the time, council leader Bev Craig said it ‘illustrates Manchester’s international impact’.

(Image: Bruntwood SciTech)

“Manchester is the fastest-growing city in the UK and has real momentum as a centre for jobs and investment in innovation,” she said on the completion of the block on Tuesday (July 15).

“Circle Square is making a tangible contribution to this story, attracting prestigious occupiers who want to work in an environment which supports collaboration and new ideas.”

The new building offers staff a roof terrace with cityscape views, ‘luxury breakout lounges’, a gym, and opens out onto Symphony Park, a 24,000 sq ft green space open to the public that forms the centrepiece of the £750m Circle Square neighbourhood.

(Image: Bruntwood SciTech)

Finishing the build ‘is a landmark moment’, John Marland, chief development officer for Bruntwood SciTech, said.

“This building represents our ambition to create world-class infrastructure that accelerates the growth of the UK’s most exciting businesses and we’re looking forward to seeing the creativity and innovations that grow here in future,” he added.

“At Circle Square, we’ve created a vibrant ecosystem that brings together startups, global brands and scaleups in one connected, collaborative place and we’ve seen how beneficial co-location and access to talent and research can be for these businesses. No.3 Circle Square will give our customers a platform to grow, recruit, innovate – and ultimately, thrive.”