BT Group has announced it is opening a new hub at the New Bailey development close to Manchester city centre which could quadruple the number of staff it employs in the city.
The new building, close to the city’s Spinningfields business district, will be BT’s primary new home in the city and has capacity for 2,000 staff.
The company will eventually occupy the full building, marking a major investment in the city. In the coming months, most staff will continue to work from home according to government and public health guidance.
“BT is proceeding with this multi-million investment in Manchester as it strongly believes that brilliant office environments, combined with a more flexible approach to home working, will play a vital role in its future,” the company said.
BT has secured the lease and plans to move colleagues into New Bailey from late 2023. It comes as the company also announced a new temporary home in Manchester while the New Bailey site is prepared for occupation.
The new temporary office at 125 Deansgate will give the leading telecoms and network provider the opportunity to grow its presence in Manchester, ahead of the transition to New Bailey.
The announcements are part of BT’s ‘Better Workplace Programme’ – one of the largest workplace improvement and consolidation schemes of its type ever undertaken in the UK.
Manchester was announced in June 2018 as one of the first locations that will house BT’s workplaces of the future as part of the programme. The five-year programme will improve and consolidate BT’s footprint of corporate offices, contact centres and specialist sites across the UK.
Graeme Paton, BT’s managing director of Property and Facilities Services, said: “Our new buildings will bring our people together in an impressive and modern environment, transforming the way we work.
“Excitingly, they will become strategic locations for BT in the UK with a considerable increase in the number of colleagues based in this city. We hope our colleagues will be inspired by the new spaces, which will give them the tools and environment to be able to thrive.
“Our building at New Bailey will boast panoramic views over the River Irwell and across the city, as well as incorporating outstanding design features including a rooftop garden and exceptional communal spaces.”
BT Group directly employs more than 7,000 people in the North West. According to an independent report, it generated a £1.6bn contribution – expressed as “Gross Value Added” (GVA) – to the North West economy during the 2017/18 financial year.
