Together commits to new quarter century lease for its Manchester HQ

Greater Manchester-based specialist lender Together has signalled its commitment to a business park by signing a new 25-year lease on its £39million headquarters as it plans for future growth.

The UK-wide financial services group moved into its current offices in Lake View, Cheadle Royal Business Park, in 2012 – later expanding into a neighbouring building, 1 Lakeside.

It has now agreed with the owner to extend the lease of both buildings – which incorporate 93,900 sq ft of office space and associated car parking –for the next quarter of a century.

The group, which provides specialist mortgages and loans for businesses and individuals and has a loan book of over £4billion, has also revived previous plans to create a new link to join the two buildings, creating a new reception area and foyer. Detailed designs will be submitted to planning chiefs at Stockport Council in the next few months.

Marc Goldberg, commercial CEO at Together said: “This new lease and our expansion plans underline our commitment to Cheadle Royal Business Park and the wider, thriving commercial property market in Manchester. It also signals our loyalty to our 750 colleagues, in providing a modern and accessible workspace for them.”

The announcement comes amid a huge recruitment drive for Together. The firm announced in June that it was hiring more than 100 new staff for employees within its commercial and personal finance, IT, marketing and group finance operations. Of those, 39 have started and 37 more are due to start by the end of year. The group is actively recruiting for another 52 roles.

Together’s Talent and Development team is bringing on board 11 apprentices and another 11 graduates – the largest intake since its apprenticeship scheme started 15 years ago. The company provides a huge range of qualifications, from AS level 2 through to Degree and Masters qualifications.

Kevin Fisher, HR Director, said: “We recognise the importance of investing in and recruiting for our apprenticeship scheme. The scheme encourages talented people to build their careers by gaining new skills and experiences, which we provide through good training and ongoing development opportunities. I would like to wish our new apprentices the very best in their careers and welcome them to Together.”