A guide to serviced offices and office space to rent in Bolton, as well as general information that may be useful if you are thinking of renting office space in the town.
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History & Geography
Located in England’s North West, Bolton lies in a group of low hills close to the West Pennine Moors and is approximately ten miles from the urban sprawl of Manchester. The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and there is evidence of Roman and Saxon settlements. The first mention of the city of Bolton, however, is in 1185. The name is a derivation of the Old English words ‘bothel’ and ‘tun’, translating to ‘settlement with a special building’. In 1251, Henry III gave the town a charter to hold a market, and the settlement became a thriving market town. The settlement of Flemish weavers in the town in the 14th century brought the manufacture of woollen cloth, bolstering its economy and swelling its population. During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Bolton was a staunch parliamentary stronghold in an area which was predominantly Royalist. The town repulsed several attacks before being taken by Prince Rupert in 1644, after which a massacre of the townspeople was carried out, with over 1,500 dead. This event became known as the Bolton Massacre. During the 19th century, Bolton grew ever larger due to its successful textile industry. The wide availability of coal in the area helped sustain the industry, and by 1911, over 36,000 people were employed in the Bolton textile industry. Bolton was also home to a large engineering industry, mainly producing heavy machinery. Bolton’s engineering industry was the third-largest in Lancashire after Manchester and Oldham, employing 9,000 people. During WWI, Bolton was one of the first cities in history to be bombed when a German Zeppelin dropped 21 bombs on the town, killing 13 people and destroying five houses. During the late 20th century, heavy industry declined significantly in Bolton and has since been gradually replaced by the leisure and service industries.
Economy
Bolton has a heritage of heavy industry, which has been largely replaced by service industries, as is the case in many British cities. Currently, the predominant industries in Bolton are data processing, call centres, high-tech and electronics. Among the traditional industries that remain in Bolton are paper manufacturing, packaging, textiles, transport, steel foundries, and building materials. The British baking firm Warburtons has been based in Bolton since its founding there in 1876. When its major industries declined in the late 20th century, Bolton struggled economically, and parts of the city fell into decline. However, the city has rallied, and there are more regeneration projects, including Church Wharf and Rivington Chase, both headed by Bluemantle Group, that have been completed over the last decade. Other major regeneration projects include the £200 million Merchants Quarter and the £300 million Bolton Innovation Zone, which is to have the University of Bolton at its centre. The city also has a thriving retail industry, with various shopping centres and retail parks in the town centre and the surrounding suburbs.
Tourism & Culture
While not among England’s top tourist cities, tourism does play a part in the local economy. The town sees several visitors who come for its leisure facilities as well as its markets, pubs, cafes and restaurants which abound in the city centre. A survey from the British Association for the Advancement of Science found that Boltonians are the friendliest people in the UK. There are also several sites in Bolton which attract tourists, including Smithills Hall, a Grade I listed manor house, Last Drop Village, Barrow Bridge, the Bolton Steam Museum and Hall i’ th’ Wood, a late medieval farmer’s house which has been restored and is now open to the public. Among the city’s best-known landmarks are its town hall, a Grade II-listed neoclassical building opened in 1873, and the University of Bolton Stadium, where the local football team, Bolton Wanderers, play. Ye Old Man & Scythe is the most famous pub in Bolton and one of the oldest in England, dating back to the early 13th century. It was outside this pub that the Earl of Derby was executed in 1651 for his role in the Bolton Massacre, and the pub contains a chair in which he reputedly sat before going outside to his fate.
In November 2025, it was announced that Bolton Council had launched its ‘Film Office’ to embrace the town’s ambition to become a leading destination for film and TV production. The initiative was built upon Bolton already being utilised in dramas like Happy Valley, It’s a Sin, Peaky Blinders and Ridley.
Transportation
An efficient bus network coordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester serves Bolton and the surrounding area. Local bus operators include Arriva North West, First Manchester and South Lancs Travel. The city is also served by the National Express. Bolton Interchange railway station is served by Virgin West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly, with services to Wigan, Southport, Blackburn and Manchester. The nearest airport to Bolton is Manchester Airport, which serves both domestic and international flights and is reachable by train via Manchester Piccadilly.
Office space to rent in Bolton
In 2012 (when we first started producing this report), the office market in Bolton was fairly stagnant, especially around the city centre.
Rents for Grade A office space in this area had hardly seen any movement at all in the previous decade, despite the fact that Bolton itself is constantly growing. There was also an oversupply of secondary leasehold office space.
There was also a lack of quality office space outside the city centre, with space for small offices being almost nonexistent. However, several large developments were in the pipeline, and Bolton was still considered a good place to set up a business, mostly due to its connections to larger cities in the area and the abundance of skilled workers.
Plans to refurbish large existing buildings, such as the scheme at 120 Bark Street, displayed confidence in the city.
In 2023, the highest-quality office space available to rent was at Parklands at Middlebrook Business Park, in the BL6 postcode district, next to the Bolton Stadium, Bolton Arena, Middlebrook Retail & Leisure Park, and Horwich Parkway train station.
Parklands is the latest phase of the 200-acre mixed-use Middlebrook development, which includes AXA, E.on, Hitachi, and RBS among its high-profile office occupiers.
The brand-new Grade A office space is quoted at £15.95 per square foot per annum.
Uniquely, Bolton Wanderers football club’s stadium offers Grade A office space for rent. The Lofthouse offers 42,085 square feet of space and was scheduled for refurbishment in 2023. It was available as a whole for one occupier or could be rented in suites from 10,440 square feet.
Grade B refurbished space, such as that at Orlando Bridge on Thynee Street. The imposing three-storey building offered a total of 35,977 square feet; however, full-floor offices could be let individually, with each floor providing 9,419 square feet of rentable space. The quoting rent at this property was £9 per square foot per annum.
In January 2026, Bolton Council announced that the town was on the brink of a “once-in-a-generation” transformation following MEPC’s winning of the £200 million contract to develop the Crompton Place scheme in the city centre.
MEPC is a developer within Federated Hermes’ Private Markets business and is best known in Greater Manchester for developing the office-led NOMA scheme in Manchester city centre.
Bolton Council purchased the 280,000 square foot 1970s Crompton Place Shopping Centre in 2018 for £14.8 million as part of the town’s wider masterplan.
With ground being broken in 2026, the 4-acre site will be redeveloped to provide up to 340 homes, a 110-room hotel, 5,000 square feet of ground-floor leisure space, and 80,000 square feet of brand-new office space.
The initial ground clearance for the scheme was scheduled to be completed in Spring/Summer 2027.
The Crompton Place redevelopment is part of the Bolton 2040 Borough Plan, which also includes plans for Church Wharf, Le Mans Crescent and the Trinity Quarter.
There are 7 office providers and flexible workspace operators in Bolton that offer ready-to-use alternatives to leased offices, including plug-and-play private serviced office suites, managed offices, and coworking memberships. Details of which can be found in this directory.
These workspace solutions are available on short-term contracts or licences, and the pricing is all-inclusive, covering service charge, utilities, cleaning and other overheads.
We carry out a free office space search, and our advisory and acquisition services are also free, always. Our Bolton office space brokers and agents are globally regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), ensuring the highest standards of commercial property advice and service at all times. We look forward to helping you find the best office space for rent for your business.
The Office Providers are Regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)