Booking.com reveals new £100m ground transport HQ in Manchester

The ground transportation division is set to relocate to a new global headquarters in Manchester Goods Yard at Enterprise City in the new St John’s Quarter.

The 12-year, 222,000 sq ft letting agreed will provide Booking.com with the campus it needs to develop “a unique set of ground transport products”.

Booking.com wants the building to become one of “the UK’s very best workplaces”, and plans an investment of approximately £100 million over the course of 10 years.

More than 1,500 colleagues will move across from 201 Deansgate, Sunlight House, and 35 and 42 Fountain Street.

The company is looking to hire another 200 new roles as soon as possible, with more planned for the next 18 months.

Construction of Manchester Goods Yard will begin this year and is due to complete in 2020. The office will be the second largest Booking.com location outside of its hub in Amsterdam.

Ian Brown, chief executive of the transport division of Booking.com, said: “We are committed to the city of Manchester and to its future as one of Europe’s largest and most important tech hubs.

“We plan to develop Manchester Goods Yard into one of the most exciting and dynamic workplaces in the UK.”

Booking Holdings recently invested $500 million in Chinese ride hailing app Didi Chuxing and already operates the Rentalcars.com and Rideways brands, alongside Booking.com. Manchester Goods Yard will be the global hub for its ground transport products.

Brown continued: “Our operations in Manchester form a critical part of our global infrastructure and we have big ambitions to grow here over the next 12 years.

“To do this, we need to continue to invest in our people, our offices and technology, and our local community – not least in education and enterprise.”