The Hut Group (THG) will also be building a new content creation studio on another 12 acre site at the airport in a dual investment worth £750m.

The development is claimed to be the largest ever by a company in the North West.

The new ‘THQ’ business campus will be built over 16.8 acres in four phases, with phase one comprising office buildings totalling 280,000 sq. ft.

An option agreement has been reached between THG and Airport City Manchester for phases two, three and four representing the UK’s largest bespoke office development outside London.

A planning application has now been submitted, with construction scheduled to begin in early 2019.

THG already has a presence at Airport City after taking 79,000 sq. ft. of office space in the Voyager and 4M buildings earlier this year.

At the second site nearby, THG is building a new development called ICON which will be the group’s new content creation studio.

The ICON development, which will be delivered by Icon Industrial, will provide an extra 104,000 sq ft of office space over four floors as well as additional content creation facilities totalling 168,000 sq ft.

Matthew Moulding, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Hut Group, said: “THQ is a landmark development for THG and another important step in our growth story.

“As we continue to extend our global footprint, it makes sense for us to base our headquarters at Airport City in Manchester, with its global connections and access to talent and supply chains worldwide.”

Charlie Cornish, CEO of MAG and Airport City JV Partner, said: “As a technology-led, e-commerce business with a significant international footprint, THG is the ideal anchor occupier for the first phase of Airport City Manchester, which will bring significant job creation to the region and further emphasise our position as a hub for international commerce.

“We have worked closely with THG to help the company establish its initial presence at Airport City Manchester and will develop our relationship to deliver what will be the largest office development deal outside London for over 20 years.

“This is a major boost for the delivery of Airport City, where we still have 60 acres of land available to deliver a further 2m sq. ft. of business space.”

Source – Construction Enquirer – September 2018