Is Manchester the UK’s answer to Silicon Valley?

Manchester could be turning into the Silicon Valley of Britain as dotcom businesses choose the city as a base.

The northern city is fast becoming a technology cluster with start-ups and existing businesses choosing Manchester for their premises. Well-known ecommerce businesses that are already based in Manchester include online appliances firm AO and clothing retailer Boohoo, and it seems more and more web firms are taking off in the area.

Experts claim Manchester is proving a popular choice with business owners as it is cheaper to live and work there than in the capital. Its location is also convenient for serving the whole of the UK.

Central location

Angela Spindler, Chief Executive at N Brown, a fashion giant which employs 3,000 people in Manchester, says: “Ecommerce businesses are about distribution and if you are serving the whole country then it makes a lot of sense to be in Manchester. If you put a pin in the centre of Britain it would be a lot closer to Burnley than to London.” She told the Daily Mail: 

The city is vibrant, accommodation is relatively cheap and the nightlife is good. People are coming here to one of the universities and are increasingly deciding they want to stay, rather than head for London.

James Roper, Chairman of the IMRG, the UK’s online retail association, says: “London is expensive, and with an online business it doesn’t matter where you are. Manchester is also ideal for internet traders because its former catalogue and mail-order industry links mean there are some well-established businesses here already.”

Choice of accommodation

We have three centres in Manchester – The Empress Business Centre, Wilsons Park in Newton Heath and Astra Business Centre, plus many more sites a short distance away. 

Our Empress Business Centre is home to one of our co-working spaces – The Work Lounge – which are ideal for entrepreneurs who want a professional environment to work in without the commitment of renting their own premises. Located in the Victorian building of a converted brewery, the reception offers secretarial support to businesses who need it, including a telephone answering service. Business accommodation includes offices, meeting rooms, workshops and a mailbox service. 

Wilsons Park in Newton Heath is a business park with a mixture of modern and historic buildings. Customers have access to their unit 24 hours a day, seven days a week and the site is monitored by CCTV. As well as offices, Wilsons Park offers industrial units and storage units. 

Our Astra Business Park forms part of Trafford Park, the UK’s largest industrial area. It has 32 individual self-contained business units ranging from 770 sq ft to 14,000 sq ft. All the units have direct access and the site benefits from free parking.