Every workspace says it's "more than an office".
I'll try not to.
The Groves is a set of managed office suites at Bridge House on Ducie Street, beside Piccadilly Basin in Manchester. It's built for professional firms that introduce work to each other, and it's built on one idea: the firms in the building should win more work because they're there.
That's the short version. Here's the longer one.
What The Groves is
The Groves takes up the ground and lower ground floors of Bridge House. In total there's 9,250 sq ft over two floors, which becomes:
- 13 self-contained office suites, with 112 desks between them
- a boardroom for up to 12 and two meeting rooms for up to 6
- an event space for up to 50, with AV and in-house catering
- a coffee and wine bar, run in-house, which doubles as reception
- a kitchen and breakout area with free tea, coffee and milk
- bike storage, showers and storage
Each suite is let to one business. No hot desks, no strangers on the next bank of desks. You can see the sizes and layouts on our suites page.
Practical completion is targeted for the first quarter of 2027.
What "managed" means here
Managed offices get described in a lot of ways. For us it means you move in and get on with your work. We handle the building.
Every licence is all-inclusive. One monthly fee covers:
- rent
- service charge
- business rates
- utilities
- wifi
- cleaning
- 5 hours of meeting and boardroom access
- 24/7 access
Licences run for 12 to 24 months, with 3 months' notice. No separate invoices for the electricity, the cleaners or the rates bill. The full list is on our amenities page.
Who it's for
This is the bit that makes The Groves different.
We're bringing together professional firms that introduce work to each other, for example:
- architects
- designers
- agents
- surveyors
- lawyers
- lenders
- advisory firms
These are businesses that already send each other work. The architect needs a planning consultant. The agent needs a surveyor. The developer needs a lender, a lawyer and someone to make sense of the numbers.
Normally they're spread across the city and the introductions happen by luck. At The Groves they're down the corridor.
The pipeline idea
We'll make the introductions, run monthly social and business events, and cross-refer work between occupiers.
The aim is that the deal flow you get from your neighbours is worth more to your business than the cost of your suite.
I want to be clear that it's an aim, not a guarantee. Nobody can promise you work. What we can do is put the right people in the same building, give them a good bar to meet in and keep introducing them. In my experience that's how most work between professional firms actually happens anyway.
There's more on this on our page for professional firms.
Why one business per suite
This was a deliberate choice, and it's worth explaining.
Open-plan coworking has its place. But if you're a surveyor taking a confidential call, or a designer laying out a client's scheme across a table, you want a door that shuts. You also want your team together, not scattered across whichever desks were free that morning.
So every suite at The Groves is self-contained and let to one business. Your space is yours.
The shared parts of the building, the bar, the kitchen, the meeting rooms and the event space, are where the mixing happens. That gives you privacy when you need it and company when you want it, which is roughly the balance most of the businesses I know are looking for.
It also makes the community work better. When there's one business per suite, you get to know who's in the building. After a few weeks you know who to ask about a planning question, a valuation or a tricky lease... and they know to ask you.
Hospitality first
My background is in hospitality, and it shows in the building.
The coffee and wine bar sits at the front, run in-house. It's where you'll meet clients, grab a coffee between calls, or finish the week with a glass of something.
Every occupier also gets free hire of the event space for a monthly business event of their own. Launch a project, run a CPD session, host a client drinks... the room takes up to 50, with AV and catering from our team. The events page has the details.
And yes, it's dog friendly.
Built lower-carbon
The building is EPC A rated, and we're aiming for B Corp status. We're also fitting out with refurbished office equipment rather than buying everything new, which cuts the carbon footprint of the fit-out.
Where it is
Bridge House is on Ducie Street, beside Piccadilly Basin. Manchester Piccadilly station is a short walk away, as are the Northern Quarter and Ancoats. Easy for your team and easy for clients coming from out of town. There's more on the area on our location page.
Coming to see it
We're taking enquiries now, and early enquirers get first choice of suite. Tours are by appointment.
Book a tour, or email hello@thegroves-mcr.co.uk.
FAQs
How many suites are there at The Groves? 13 self-contained suites with 112 desks in total, each let to one business.
What's included in the licence? Rent, service charge, business rates, utilities, wifi and cleaning, plus 5 hours of meeting and boardroom access and 24/7 access, all in one monthly fee.
When does The Groves open? Practical completion is targeted for the first quarter of 2027.
Marcus