£3m refurb of historic Manchester building complete

Commercial Estates Group (CEG) has completed a seven-figure transformation of one of Manchester’s most prominent listed buildings.

The Harrogate-based property firm carried out a £3m refurb at 196 Deansgate, the Grade II-listed office site located at the junction of Deansgate and Quay Street in the heart of the city centre.

The scheme comprises 48,000 sq ft of office space across five upper floors and 17,784 sq ft of ground-floor retail space.

Current occupiers at 196 Deansgate include media agency McCann Manchester, biotech company Proteintech Europe, investment business Adimus and PR firm Citypress.

Greg Lacey, CEG’s investment manager, said: “The former Royal London Insurance building has been transformed into an exceptional office space.

“We’ve taken care to retain and enhance many of the architectural features, which has proved to be an added attraction for businesses looking for a city centre location with a difference.”

Real estate firm Canning O’Neill is a joint agent on the scheme alongside WHR Property Consultants.

Conrad O’Neill, the co-founder of Canning O’Neill, commented: “The building has been very well received by businesses who have viewed the scheme and there is already strong interest in the available space.

“The city centre’s occupational office market remains strong with a relative lack of good quality office accommodation particularly with the character offered by 196 Deansgate.”

He added: “CEG have successfully blended the building’s original architectural features with a modern specification and we are confident the space will let quickly.”