gunnercooke, one of the UK’s fastest-growing professional services firms known for its entrepreneurial model is entering a bold new phase of expansion with a location move into Bruntwood SciTech’s flagship innovation hub in Manchester.
The firm will relocate its Manchester headquarters to a newly reimagined 16,100 sq ft space at Pall Mall. In parallel, gunnercooke is investing in its presence in Leeds city centre with a move to a new 18-person serviced office at West Village – embedding itself into one of the UK’s most dynamic and high-growth regional tech ecosystems.
The firm has global ambitions and the move signals gunnercooke’s commitment to scaling with purpose in high impact, future ready environments, having also seen the launch of new offices in Chicago and Frankfurt, as well as a second London location in the West End this year.
The firm joins Bruntwood SciTech’s UK-wide network of innovation hubs – home to more than 1,100 startup, scaleup and global pioneering businesses – and part of the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to the innovation, tech and science sectors, delivered through a joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G and Greater Manchester Pension Fund.
Manchester is the birthplace of gunnercooke and the home of its support team, gcTrust, which now comprises 90 employees across marketing, finance, IT, compliance, recruitment, and office and partner services, in addition to the 158 fee earners based in the region. Manchester is also home of the firm’s first purpose-led bookshop, House of Books & Friends.
Darryl Cooke, gunnercooke Founder, added: “As our entrepreneurial model has become widely recognised, our growth has been exponential. This latest expansion marks a significant milestone in gunnercooke’s journey. We’ve seen incredible momentum in the North, with a growing number of both legal and non-legal talent joining us every year, and we need our spaces to reflect this growth.
“Leeds and Manchester are Northern powerhouses for innovation, talent and energy. In Pall Mall, we’ve found a home that reflects everything we stand for – creativity, flexibility and a future-facing mindset. West Village offers us the dynamism and depth we need to grow in one of the UK’s most innovative cities. Together with House of Books & Friends, these spaces bring our purpose to life in real, tangible ways.”
Josh Hancock, Associate Director, Bruntwood SciTech, said: “gunnercooke’s expansion across Pall Mall and West Village is a strong statement of intent, reflecting their ambition to move into two intelligent, community-driven, and sustainable buildings in Manchester and Leeds.
“Their arrival signals real momentum for Pall Mall, which is due to complete in October this year, and is set to become one of the most exciting new addresses in the city. And in Leeds, their presence at West Village strengthens a growing ecosystem of forward-thinking businesses.”
At Pall Mall, gunnercooke will establish its new Manchester HQ within one of the city’s most forward-thinking commercial redevelopments.
The £30 million project is transforming a Grade II-listed landmark on King Street into a 120,000 sq ft, net zero carbon innovation hub, following the integration of the adjacent Pinnacle building to expand the scheme’s footprint. The redevelopment is targeting an EPC A rating and BREEAM Very Good rating, representing a major sustainability milestone for a building originally constructed in the 1960s.
As part of Bruntwood SciTech’s £5bn growth strategy, Pall Mall forms a key pillar in the expansion of Manchester’s innovation economy – creating a new focal point for pioneering and socially-conscious businesses at the heart of the city centre.
Designed to blend heritage with cutting-edge design and sustainability, the development will offer a variety of flexible workspaces alongside premium amenities, including a gym, meeting rooms and lounge spaces, independent cafe, rooftop terrace overlooking King Street and an outdoor piazza – all created to foster productivity, wellbeing and community.
gunnercooke’s new headquarters will include a bespoke client suite, flexible workspace and a production studio – supporting the firm’s hybrid ways of working and growing creative output. The move places the firm among a new generation of occupiers seeking high quality, high impact space in central Manchester, with connectivity, character and credentials to match their ambitions.
Just a short walk from Pall Mall, gunnercooke has also launched House of Books & Friends at Bruntwood’s Manchester Club – an independent bookshop and community venue created to tackle loneliness and bring people together. The initiative reflects a shared ethos with Bruntwood and Bruntwood SciTech – creating places that deliver social as well as economic value.
