CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) has been tasked with finding new tenants for the office space currently being vacated by staff of the law firm Halliwells, which went into administration over the summer, and there are already reported to be a number of very interested parties.
Accountancy giant KPMG and the law firm Pannone are said to be among those seriously considering moving their respective workforces to the 3 Hardman Square site, which is one of the most sought-after office space locations in the north-west of England.
Large-scale grade A office space is at something of a premium in Manchester and so CBRE is not anticipating having any difficulty in finding occupiers for the newly-available real estate.
Will Kennon from CBRE told the Manchester Evening News: “In the current market, the opportunity to acquire in excess of 40,000 square feet of grade A accommodation within Manchester’s traditional business district is otherwise only available by pre-letting.”
“We’ll be quoting a rent of £30 per square foot. For large office occupiers, there’s no other option in town except 3 Hardman Square, and the city has already seen several deals signed this year at £29 per square foot.”
Data compiled by CBRE recently showed that there had been close to £300 million worth of investment in Manchester office space in the first half of 2010, which makes the city’s commercial property the most popular of any in the UK outside London.
Editor’s notes: As of June 2026, office occupiers at 3 Hardman Square included G2V Recruitment Group, Isio, St James’s Place, and WorldPay.
There was also a range of landlord and tenant-controlled office space available to let, with suites ranging from circa 5,000 square feet.
As of June 2026, occupiers at 3 Hardman Street, also within the Spinningfields scheme, included the General Medical Council (GMC), Investec, and Regus.
Aside from the flexible office space and workspace solutions such as private serviced offices and furnished, fitted, and managed offices offered by Regus at 3 Hardman Street, there was up to 95,168 square feet of space available to rent on a conventional basis, with suites from 9,541 square feet.
Knight Frank reported that there were £205 million of office investments in 2025, and prime office yields in Manchester remained stable at 6.75 per cent.