Customer data science firm signs 10-year deal at City Tower Manchester

Consumer insights firm dunnhumby UK has signed a new deal for space at City Tower Manchester.

The London-headquartered firm secured 8,985 sq ft on a 10-year lease with Schroder Real Estate Investment Management.

dunnhumby’s Manchester operation is based across the entire 23rd floor of the 28-storey vertical business district.

The company provides customer data science services to blue-chip firms such as Kellogg’s, Nestlé, Tesco, Coca Cola, Unilever and P&G.

Income generated by City Tower since its refurbishment in 2017 has now risen past £1.4m.

Rob Cosslett, investment manager at Schroders, believes the refurb was instrumental in dunnhumby’s decision to renew its lease.

He commented: “It is really positive to see continued commitment of dunnhumby to City Tower.

“It is our long-term plan to continually enhance the offer at City Tower to meet the changing needs of the workforce. The signing of these new lease terms is testament to the quality of the offering post refurbishment and the level of available amenity that surrounds the building.”

The refurbishment included an overhaul of the ground floor atrium and reception area to incorporate a new business lounge and formal meeting rooms, along with work booths and additional retail space.

The project also modernised 36,400 sq ft of office space across four floors and repositioned the ground floor reception and lift lobbies throughout the building.

City Tower is owned in a joint venture between Schroder Real Estate Investment Trust, Schroder UK Real Estate Fund and Immobilien Europa Direkt.

Scott Shufflebottom, associate director at property services firm Colliers International, said of the deal: “dunnhumby are global leaders in their field and securing them as tenants for a further 10 years goes a long way to validate our strategy to reposition the asset and take advantage of the city centre’s rental growth, delivering strong returns.”