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Project Digital - Tomorrow

49K views 239 replies 51 participants last post by  Lee F 
#1 ·
An American technology giant is set to lead a property deals spree in Manchester city centre.

Surveyors DTZ say that so-called Project Digital is now close to taking 100,000 sq ft of central Manchester office space.

Sources have indicated the company on the search for premises in Manchester is a global brand.

Speculation is rife that it could be Apple.

Assessing the city’s office market, DTZ said: "In a significant move, it is understood that an undisclosed US technology corporate has terms agreed on 17 different Greater Manchester buildings, with seven more to follow.

"Project Digital is set to take up to 100,000 sq ft of grade A space in 2012, progressing to an eventual total of around 170,000 sq ft."

The Project Digital deal is expected to be followed by a series of other transactions.

DTZ calculates that as many as 29 occupiers are looking for around 830,000 sq ft of space in and around Manchester.

An announcement is expected this autumn from health giant BUPA, which has been looking a 160,000 sq ft Greater Manchester base.

A shortlist of Salford and city centre sites is being considered.

Jacbos Engineering is also looking for 90,000 sq ft, with Cheadle tipped as its likely destination.

Private college BPP is seeking 50,000-60,000 sq ft to consolidate operations in the city centre while another college, Futureworks, has a requirement for 25,000 sq ft.

Rob Yates, director of office agency at DTZ in Manchester, said: "We expect the second half of 2012 to show improved levels of activity.

"There are a number of deals due to commit plus larger transactions to come to fruition. We expect the final take up figure for 2012 to be around 700,000-800,000 sq ft."

In a separate report, surveyors at GVA disclose that business confidence has continued to affect regional office occupier markets.

Christopher Cheap, a director at GVA , said: "The overriding theme across all north west markets is occupier nervousness and higher levels of due diligence increasing the

time taken to convert firm interest into transactional commitment.

"This is particularly the case with larger lettings or pre-lettings, which essentially underpin take up levels.

"It is clear that this has contributed to a lag in the pipeline of transactions over the last quarter.

However, with a number of these ‘deals’ still very much on track, we expect there to be increased activity towards the end of the year.

"The central Manchester market continues to see a high number of smaller transactions within the secondary sector which yet again illustrates its scale and robustness as

indigenous occupiers continue to move."


Source: http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereve...ject-digital-takeover-of-office-space-in-city
 
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#133 ·
It doesn't get any better either.

GVA believe at the moment there are numerous companies (excluding the rumoured 250,000 sq ft Barclays are looking for) which could occupy 800,000 sq ft of Grade A office space but there is only 400,000 sq ft of available space.

GVA also predict only 50,000 sq ft of Grade A office space will be available come end of 2013. The only good news on the horizon is One St Peter's Square which will boost that available space to 200,000 sq ft but even GVA think it could be fully pre-let before opening in March 2014.

Its not a matter of 'build it and they will come' - it is a matter of demand.
 
#135 ·
I'm not so sure, @projectdigital have a twitter feed using the same logo, which last posted three years ago:

https://twitter.com/projectdigital

6 Mar 10 Project Digital ‏@projectdigitalCreativity is not design. Creativity has nothing to do with design. http://ow.ly/1eT8F

6 Mar 10 Project Digital ‏@projectdigital
News for Milton Glaser fans http://ow.ly/1eT3x @scribblewerks , I know you're out there

19 Feb 10 Project Digital ‏@projectdigital
Great day with @ScribbleWerks and @doug_yoder in the house

18 Feb 10 Project Digital ‏@projectdigital
Every official poster from the winter Olympic games from 1924 to 2010. http://ow.ly/18waS
 
#138 ·
Posted some while ago now...

<<Announcement on Project Tomorrow

22 Jan 2013 06:00
A major announcement on Project Tomorrow - the Manchester digital project said to involve one of the world’s biggest technology companies – is expected in the next fortnight.
The announcement will help to allay growing doubts about the scheme, which involves 20 locations around the city hosting 'ground-breaking technology'.
Some feared it had stalled, or had been abandoned altogether.
>>

Tomorrow still hasn't come then. Anyone heard any snippets? Even my well connected source says it's all quiet.
 
#151 ·
#152 ·
^^

Manchester mystery grows

26 April 2013

A global technology brand that has been leasing single office floors in Manchester over the past 12 months, without revealing its identity, has agreed terms on a further 10 locations across the city centre.

The “Tomorrow” project, previously codenamed “Project Digital”, has expanded its Manchester office portfolio to 30 locations throughout the city and its suburbs to more than 200,000 sq ft.

Among the new locations are United Utilities Property Services’ Linley House on Dickinson Street, Castlefield’s Merchants Warehouse on Castle Street, Manchester City Council’s Sharp Project in Old Trafford, Bruntwood’s Station House in Altrincham and BAM’s St Peter’s Square scheme in Stockport.

The Tomorrow project is led by Atul Bansal, co-founder of interior design firm Sheila Bird Group, and Andrew Timms, director of Edwards & Co.

Tomorrow has been described as a “highly confidential” brief on behalf of an unnamed, consortium of global companies.

An announcement in August said each site would host “ground-breaking” technology that will enable local firms to explore and access business solutions, knowledge and data in an “intuitive and interactive format” that is completely “innovative and unprecedented”.

Technological hiccups are thought to have held up a formal announcement of the concept so far.
http://www.propertyweek.com/
 
#159 ·
Not necessarily. My guess is that this will be a service offering with the underlying technology being transparent to the end user/customer. This will allow Cisco (or whoever) to deploy what ever it likes under the covers it terms of kit at launch. Service offerings do typically take several months to get established as there is a lot to get right.

Nevertheless I'm not holding my breath.
 
#168 ·
The guy who told me could be fired from his job if I spill, so...

Having said that he was pretty keen to tell me once I mentioned it.

As soon as he did I whipped my laptop up from under the sofa and logged on here, and went "Oh by the way, how far can that news go?" "Not past the walls off this room" was the answer

My laptop went back under the sofa

:(
 
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