Swinton to move to new HQ

Broking group Swinton is planning to move its Manchester headquarters and customer contact centre to a new building in the city.

The company has signed a lease agreement for the whole of Embankment 101, a new 10-floor building being constructed on the site of the Manchester Exchange station.

The new building is situated in Salford and overlooks Manchester Cathedral.

As part of the move more than 1,000 employees will relocate to Embankment from existing city centre sites on Whitworth Street and Great Marlborough Street.

Swinton said the move is part of its wider strategy to modernise its high-street branch network and introduce new IT and telephony platforms.

Swinton chief executive Gilles Normand said: “The new location is a symbol of our commitment to the North West and demonstrates our intention to remain close to our roots and invest in our local community as we approach our 60th anniversary in 2017.

“Bringing all of our Manchester-based support teams and contact centre colleagues together under one roof will allow for much greater flexibility to deliver great customer service. The move to a new site is a milestone in our drive towards a bold and modern Swinton by re-shaping the way that we work.

“It’s about building a sustainable, multi-channel business model that makes things easier for our customers and delivers excellent service, whether they choose to interact with us face to face in branches, over the phone or online.”

The newbuilding is being developed as a joint venture comprising local Manchester developer Ask Real Estate, Carillion and Tristan Capital Partners in partnership with Salford City Council and Network Rail.