Colony Cowork, a flexible and premium workspace provider, recently opened its sixth venue in Manchester city centre.
Colony launched its first co-working space, Jactin House, in Ancoats in 2017, and has since opened the doors to its newest venue, Colony Fabrica, in Manchester’s latest regeneration area New Islington.
Offering nine private studios, flexi desk memberships, and fully equipped meeting rooms, Colony says community is at the heart of what they do.
We find out what happens at Colony’s brand new 24,000 sq ft workspace…
Operations director Rebecca McKeown introduces us to the newly opened Colony Fabrica office…
“The team is extremely proud to be at the forefront of Manchester’s premium workspace industry, with (now) six flexible Colony venues across the city centre, offering businesses a new way of working in a post-pandemic landscape.
“I am excited to have launched Colony Fabrica in New Islington, an area that has seen massive urban regeneration over the last 12 months.”
Where is it?
269 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, M4 7DB, in the heart of New Islington.
How big is it?
A 24,000 sq ft workspace in one of Manchester’s trendiest neighbourhoods, our sixth city centre venue boasts nine private studios, dedicated and floating desks, plus collaboration zones to spark your inner trailblazer.
The venue, which opened in September last year, has been newly refurbished and offers an abundance of natural light with its floor-to-ceiling windows. There are fully equipped meeting rooms, private call booths, and an aesthetically pleasing yet functional presentation and event space.
Across Colony Fabrica’s four floors, there are plenty of comfortable breakout zones for quick meetings or quiet time, and you can help yourself to barista-style coffee and plenty of snacks from our self-service kitchens.
With Piccadilly train station only half a mile down the road, Colony Fabrica has everything on its doorstep. New Islington tram stop is just a five-minute walk away, and you’re never more than a stone’s throw from some of the city’s tastiest lunch spots and coffee shops.
What happens there?
Colony Fabrica is a flexible, premium workspace tailored to suit your needs. Many of our members use the space in different ways, and that’s what we want! Whether you’re in five days a week or just visiting for the day, our flexible membership packages put businesses in the driver’s seat.
Our newest venue has been designed in-house with our members in mind. We have beautiful and functional communal areas built to spark conversation, and a social bar conceived to foster its budding community. We actively encourage businesses to network over a cuppa and a biscuit, and we’re proud to say our onsite Community Leads do a great job at facilitating these connections.
We also host a range of popular and informative events that are often free for members to attend, including yoga classes, brunches and industry panel talks, so there’s always time to initiate conversations with like-minded people. Plus, Colony Fabrica members have access to our other venues dotted across the city centre, meaning you’ll never be short of an inspiring place to work or call home.
Our state-of-the-art presentation space, designed to accommodate up to 50 guests in auditorium-style seating, features a seamless AV system, with a high-definition screen and top-of-the-range speakers, to leave your guests wowed and wanting more. Since its opening, we’ve seen large-scale panel events, wellness sessions and networking meet-ups, with plans to host an intimate music session on the horizon.
What sort of work goes on?
We are thrilled to have a vast range of businesses in our venues, including remote workers, freelancers, established businesses, agencies, and many more! This makes the conversations that take place at Colony Fabrica even more vibrant and dynamic. Our recent open day at Colony Fabrica saw businesses from all walks of life, including Manchester Young Professionals—a group that represents the city’s brightest talent and future leaders.
It’s important that each day offers something new, with our Community team at the forefront of daily activities. Our free brunch in Fabrica’s social kitchen provides respite from the working day, with pastries, coffee, cereal and seasonal treats on the menu, and a chance to be a part of the collaborative buzz.
Whether you’re a creative freelancer looking for your next inspirational space, or a team of 100 looking for your forever home (yes, we have an office that size on offer!) Colony Fabrica has it all.
Why is the workplace appropriate?
We opened our first venue, Colony Jactin House, in 2017, and since then we’ve had the benefit of witnessing changes to what businesses want and need in order to thrive and survive.
Now more than ever, the importance of having a physical desk and room to grow professionally has taken our workspace offering to the next level. At Colony Fabrica, we want teams to come together and discover new ways of working and collaborating, away from the stale home office environment. There isn’t anything more inspiring than being around your team, bouncing ideas off each other and witnessing other businesses do the same, all under the same roof.
We also love it when companies come to us with their growth and expansion plans, and we’re able to confidently offer options within our portfolio for a seamless move. Our staff make this daunting journey easy and stress-free with their tailored package plans, so you can concentrate on building your business to its full potential.
Colony Fabrica’s short distance to major transport links means it’s incredibly easy to visit us from Greater Manchester and further afield, meaning our members are more connected to clients than ever before. Because of this, businesses from across the country can take advantage of our meeting rooms and presentation space, where they can book in for as little as 30 minutes or for a whole working day.
Who works there?
Colony Fabrica is currently home to 18 businesses across several sectors, including spirited design agencies, a multinational payment giant, and a touring musician. These companies take advantage of our flexible plans on offer, including desk memberships and private studios.
