Puma to move UK head office from London to Manchester
Puma is to relocate its UK head office from London to Manchester after signing up to take space in a new £87m building.
The global sportswear brand is to take 20,000 sq ft at 3 Circle Square in the city centre, which is due to open this summer.
The head office will become home to Puma’s sales, marketing, merchandising, finance, people and operations and direct to consumer departments.
The deal with Bruntwood SciTech, a joint venture between Bruntwood, Legal & General and Greater Manchester Pension Fund, comes after FTSE 100 giant Auto Trader also agreed to move to the building in 2026.
Announced in January, Auto trader is to leave its home at 1 Tony Wilson Place in First Street where it has been based since 2014.
The new building includes 267,000 sq ft over 15 floors and is in the final stages of construction.
Puma’s decision comes ahead of the opening of its European flagship store on Oxford Street in London this autumn.
Puma’s UK boss welcomes move
Lucynda Davies, UK managing director, Puma, said: “The move to Circle Square and state-of-the-art facilities on offer forms a key part of our strategy for providing Puma’s employees with a first class working environment with top facilities and amenities.
“All whilst being at the centre of a community which offers leading technology, fashion, AI and innovation.
“Being surrounded by such a strong line up of industry was an important factor, and to find somewhere in the heart of Manchester’s thriving tech community is exactly what we hoped for.
“Being based at Circle Square will also open up a host of opportunities to tap into the city’s creative talent pool and strengthen our existing links with academic partners like Manchester Metropolitan University – of which we get the added benefit of Bruntwood SciTech being a partner.
“We’ve already experienced many of the gains that a thriving city like Manchester affords, and in December 2024, we teamed up with Manchester City football club to launch an innovative AI platform for fans to flex their design skills for the club’s official third kit.
“Now, through our new UK HQ, we look forward to further integrating ourselves in the city’s innovative community.”
‘Manchester has a reputation as an economic powerhouse’
Josh Whiteley, commercial director at Bruntwood SciTech, added: “Puma joining Circle Square underlines our ambition to build a thriving community of technology, digital and creative leaders and promote knowledge-sharing and innovation.
“The brand’s own ethos to innovate and grow marries perfectly with our vision, and its arrival highlights the vibrant and collaborative destination that we have built at Circle Square.
“At Circle Square we offer our customers – whether they’re large global companies or flourishing start-ups – access to new connections, introductions to like-minded businesses, and talent networks while providing state-of-the-art workspaces.
“Manchester has a reputation as an economic powerhouse that draws in disruptive, pioneering brands and skilled professionals.
“It also has the largest concentration of fashion students and undergraduates in the UK outside London, and a rich history in innovation and textiles as the birthplace of the industrial revolution.
“Being the UK home of a global brand like Puma will be a powerful two-way partnership – helping support regional growth, as well as offering them access to workspace, talent and companies that will shape the future of innovation.”
Sportswear brand suffers huge losses
Bruntwood SciTech itself hit the headlines in November 2024 when plans were announced for it to help Imperial College London to build a life sciences and deep tech development worth over £200m in the west of the capital
Companies already based at other Circle Square buildings in Oxford Road include HPE, Roku, Bosch and the Uber-owned Autocab.
Accounts filed earlier this month for the UK arm of Puma revealed the brand slumped to a pre-tax loss of £26m in 2023.
The total came after it also reported a pre-tax loss of £3.5m in 2022.
Its revenue also declined from £278.3m to £249.3m in 2023.
Puma’s UK accounts for 2024 are expected to be filed with Companies House by the end of September this year.