After launching our Manchester business in October 2017, we knew that we had to be based in Manchester City centre to be easily accessible for our candidates and so we quickly started looking at office spaces for the team to move into. After working in London for five years, I had been hearing about WeWork more and more, so when I saw that they had launched a space in Spinningfields in Manchester, I was really intrigued and keen to see the space. I wasn’t sure whether the space would be too casual and not quite right for our target audience as we deal with a lot of corporate clients but I was wrong. The Spinningfields offices were nearly at capacity when we looked around and the new offices in St Peter’s Square were set to open in May. We felt that it was an even better location with the Metrolink station a stone’s throw away and close to both Oxford Road Station and Manchester Piccadilly. With companies such as KPMG and Addleshaw Goddard in the same building it was a no brainer. Plus what’s not to love about San Carlo and The Anthologist downstairs!
I can honestly say that our experience with WeWork has been outstanding. At Lily Shippen we are constantly looking at ways in which we can improve the customer journey and being in the St Peter’s Square WeWork offices has enabled us to offer a fantastic experience to our clients and candidates from the minute they walk through the door. People love the space and regularly comment on it and my team are so happy too (especially with the amount of free food they get given by the WeWork team!) Marta and Jess on the front desk create a really welcoming environment. They have made our small (but growing!) team feel part of something bigger and they are always there to help with anything at all. With free drinks regularly being put on, it encourages people to network after work in a casual and relaxed environment. With the variety of meeting rooms available, we have also been able to hold interviews in our offices for our clients and we have plans to hold seminars and workshops in the space too.
I feel that WeWork has made our transition into Manchester City centre painless and enjoyable. We’ve already made connections in the WeWork community and done business with clients in the same building. WeWork has helped us put our names on the Manchester map and I think they are a perfect choice for SME businesses.
