Gunnercooke Makes Landmark Dual-location Regional Investments With Moves To Bruntwood SciTech Innovation Hubs In Manchester And Leeds

gunnercooke, one of the UK’s fastest-growing professional services firms known for its entrepreneurial model is entering a bold new phase of expansion with a major dual-location move into Bruntwood SciTech’s flagship innovation hubs in Manchester and Leeds. 

The firm will relocate its Manchester headquarters to a newly reimagined 16,100 sq ft space at Pall Mall. In parallel, Gunnercooke is investing in its presence in Leeds city centre with a move to a new 18-person serviced office at West Village – embedding itself into one of the UK’s most dynamic and high-growth regional tech ecosystems. 

The firm has global ambitions and the move signals Gunnercooke’s commitment to scaling with purpose in high impact, future ready environments, having also seen the launch of new offices in Chicago and Frankfurt, as well as a second London location in the West End this year. The firm joins Bruntwood SciTech’s UK-wide network of innovation hubs – home to more than 1,100 startup, scaleup and global pioneering businesses – and part of the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to the innovation, tech and science sectors, delivered through a joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G and Greater Manchester Pension Fund.

Manchester is the birthplace of Gunnercooke and the home of its support team, gcTrust, which now comprises 90 employees across marketing, finance, IT, compliance, recruitment, and office and partner services, in addition to the 158 fee earners based in the region. Manchester is also home of the firm’s first purpose-led bookshop, House of Books & Friends.

The firm continues to develop its offering and investment in Yorkshire operations, with 10 new partners joining in the Yorkshire area over the last 18 months, and now totalling 45 Partners across the region, providing expert legal advice in a variety of practice areas such as Corporate, Litigation, Employment, Intellectual Property, Real Estate and Family Law.

Darryl Cooke, gunnercooke Founder, added: “As our entrepreneurial model has become widely recognised, our growth has been exponential. This latest expansion marks a significant milestone in gunnercooke’s journey. We’ve seen incredible momentum in the North, with a growing number of both legal and non-legal talent joining us every year, and we need our spaces to reflect this growth.

“Leeds and Manchester are Northern powerhouses for innovation, talent and energy. In Pall Mall, we’ve found a home that reflects everything we stand for – creativity, flexibility and a future-facing mindset. West Village offers us the dynamism and depth we need to grow in one of the UK’s most innovative cities. Together with House of Books & Friends, these spaces bring our purpose to life in real, tangible ways.”

Josh Hancock, Associate Director, Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Gunnercooke’s expansion across Pall Mall and West Village is a strong statement of intent, reflecting their ambition to move into two intelligent, community-driven, and sustainable buildings in Manchester and Leeds.

“Their arrival signals real momentum for Pall Mall, which is due to complete in October this year, and is set to become one of the most exciting new addresses in the city. And in Leeds, their presence at West Village strengthens a growing ecosystem of forward-thinking businesses.” 

Pall Mall: a future-ready Manchester HQ with civic roots 

At Pall Mall, gunnercooke will establish its new Manchester HQ within one of the city’s most forward-thinking commercial redevelopments. 

The £30 million project is transforming a Grade II-listed landmark on King Street into a 120,000 sq ft, net zero carbon innovation hub, following the integration of the adjacent Pinnacle building to expand the scheme’s footprint. The redevelopment is targeting an EPC A rating and BREEAM Very Good rating, representing a major sustainability milestone for a building originally constructed in the 1960s.

As part of Bruntwood SciTech’s £5bn growth strategy, Pall Mall forms a key pillar in the expansion of Manchester’s innovation economy – creating a new focal point for pioneering and socially-conscious businesses at the heart of the city centre. 

Designed to blend heritage with cutting-edge design and sustainability, the development will offer a variety of flexible workspaces alongside premium amenities, including a gym, meeting rooms and lounge spaces, independent cafe, rooftop terrace overlooking King Street and an outdoor piazza – all created to foster productivity, wellbeing and community. 

gunnercooke’s new headquarters will include a bespoke client suite, flexible workspace and a production studio – supporting the firm’s hybrid ways of working and growing creative output. The move places the firm among a new generation of occupiers seeking high quality, high impact space in central Manchester, with connectivity, character and credentials to match their ambitions. 

Just a short walk from Pall Mall, gunnercooke has also launched House of Books & Friends at Bruntwood’s Manchester Club – an independent bookshop and community venue created to tackle loneliness and bring people together. The initiative reflects a shared ethos with Bruntwood and Bruntwood SciTech – creating places that deliver social as well as economic value. 

West Village: an enhanced presence in Leeds’ innovation heartland 

In Leeds, gunnercooke has established a serviced office base at the £20m recently transformed West Village. Just minutes from Leeds Train Station, the 230,000 sq ft innovation hub has become a destination for ambitious, innovation-led organisations, including global insurtech firm QBE, Australian fintech PEXA and tech training provider Northcoders. 

Blending contemporary design with wellbeing and creativity, West Village offers biophilic interiors, curated art in partnership with the University of Leeds, and a range of independent retail. At its heart is RESET Leeds – a dedicated wellness studio operated by FORM, providing yoga, Pilates and mindfulness sessions for the community. 

For gunnercooke, West Village will become a platform for purposeful growth. The flexibility of the serviced model supports the firm’s agile, hybrid working approach, while the surrounding ecosystem fosters collaboration, inspiration and connection. With its focus on sustainability, placemaking and progressive culture, West Village aligns strongly with gunnercooke’s people-first values and long-term ambition to scale in one of the UK’s most forward-thinking cities.