Booking.com has agreed a 222,000 sq ft letting at Allied London’s Enterprise City development in Manchester as the new global headquarters for its ground transportation division.
The online travel company signed a 12-year lease at Enterprise City’s Manchester Goods Yard to consolidate four existing city centre sites at 201 Deansgate, Sunlight House on Quay Street, and 35 and 42 Fountain Street into one HQ.
The deal makes Booking.com the anchor tenant at the 10-building tech campus within the developer’s St John’s regeneration masterplan, on the site of the former Granada Studios.
Its Manchester HQ will be the company’s largest office outside Amsterdam.
Booking.com said it plans to invest about £100m in its Manchester HQ over the next decade. It has created 75 tech jobs so far this year and is looking to hire another 200 new roles “as soon as possible”.
It is the third largest e-commerce company in the world, and recently invested $500m (£386m) in Chinese ride hailing app Didi Chuxing. Booking.com also operates the Rentalcars.com and Rideways brands.
Ian Brown, chief executive of the transport division of Booking.com, said: “We are committed to the city of Manchester and to its future as one of Europe’s largest and most important tech hubs.”
Mike Ingall, chief executive of Allied London, said: “We have formed a great working relationship with the senior management at Booking.com, which has enabled us to reinforce the company’s commitment to Manchester.”
OBI Property acted for Booking.com.
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