The Hut Group to build $1bn business campus in Manchester

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 18, 2018

The Hut Group has agreed a major deal to develop a massive business campus, complete with office buildings and a studio space for its content creator Hangar 7, in Airport City Manchester.

The project will involve a $1bn investment, making it the UK’s largest bespoke office development outside London.

The Hut Group CEO Matthew Moulding called said it will be “a landmark development” for the fast-growing business, which owns beauty brands including Feelunique.com, Illamasqua, Espa and Glossybox.

The development will be made over two sites: the largest, THQ, will be built over 16.8 acres in four phases, with phase one comprising office buildings totalling 280,000 square feet. Ultimately, it will support the company’s growth plans with up to 10,000 jobs, significantly increasing its current 5,000-strong workforce.

Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2019, with designs from workplace culture strategist and interior designer, Penson.

The second site, located nearby, will create a studio space for The Hut Group’s Hangar 7, which creates content for retailers and brands including Barbour, Adidas, John Lewis, Whistles and George at Asda. The Icon building will provide an extra 104,000 square feet. of office space over four floors as well as additional content creation facilities totalling 168,000 square feet. About 2,000 people will work on video production and photography at the site.

“THQ is a landmark development for THG and another important step in our growth story. As we continue to extend our global footprint, it makes sense for us to base our headquarters at Airport City in Manchester, with its global connections and access to talent and supply chains worldwide,” Matthew Moulding, founder and CEO of The Hut Group, said.

“THQ and ICON cement our position as a significant player and employer in the UK and we look forward to expanding even further from here, attracting and retaining the most innovative and inventive talent from across the globe.”

The new sites will become the new headquarters for the company, which is one of the UK’s largest private companies. It has been valued at nearly £4 billion.