Cult coffee brand Grind is to open its first base outside London after signing a deal with Gary Neville to take space at his landmark city centre development in Manchester.
Grind has agreed to take over 3,000 sq ft at No.1 St Michael’s scheme which is being led by Neville’s Relentless Developments.
Grind joins the likes of global Japanese-Peruvian restaurant group Chotto Matte and Paris-based, Big Mamma Group in taking space at the development.
In October last year, Channel 4 also signed a deal for 12,293 sq ft at No.1 St Michael’s, occupying half of floor eight alongside international law firm, Pinsent Masons.
US-headquartered, publicly-trading company S&P Global Inc and global computing firm Arm are also moving into the building when it opens, alongside commercial law firm Hill Dickinson and premium serviced office provider Gilbanks.
Grind was founded by chief executive David Abrahamovitch and its products are available in the likes of Tesco, Waitrose, Co-op, Wholefoods and Ocado.
In the capital, the business has cafes in London Bridge, Greenwich, Liverpool Street as well as Kings Cross St Pancras and Canary Wharf.
During its latest financial year, Grind’s turnover increased from £21.6m to £28.7m while its pre-tax loss widened from £5.3m to £5.6m.
Grind’s largest shareholder is former Betfair and Plymouth Gin owner, Richard Koch.
Gary Neville hails ‘massive achievement’
Gary Neville, director at Relentless Developments, said: “The ambition for St Michael’s was to create a landmark that will become an economic driver for Manchester and bring together major names in a world-class, sustainable development.
“Attracting brands like Grind who have yet to set foot outside the capital is a massive achievement and testament to how hard we’ve been working to deliver our vision for the scheme and city as a whole.”
David Abrahamovitch, Grind founder and CEO, added: “We’ve always said that if we were to do a big site outside of London, the first place we would go would be Manchester.
“My wife is Mancunian and her whole family live in Manchester, so I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years and I’ve always thought that a Grind would work well.
“We’ve looked at various locations over the years, but thanks to Gary and the team at Relentless we think we’ve finally found the perfect home for Grind in St Michael’s, in the heart of Manchester. We cannot wait to get open in the summer.”
Metis Real Estate acted on behalf of the developer, while Distrkt represented the occupier. Kuits Solicitors provided legal advice.