Manchester is attracting more internationally recognised companies as Swedish bank Handelsbanken announces that it will create 300 new jobs when it opens a new office in the city centre later this year at 101 Barbirolli Square.

The bank, which has a nationwide network of 208 branches and will occupy the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors of the building which has just undergone an extensive £6m refurbishment programme. The Manchester headquarters will provide Handelsbanken with offices with room for future growth for its UK operations and a base to further expand its northern regional Head Office.

The bank is a great addition to the Manchester city centre in terms of employment and will open up a huge pool of talent, from University graduates for its contact centre to some of the most experienced financial and technical professionals who also want to be based in a central location.

Manchester is being transformed enjoying a period of rapid regeneration that has seen population and jobs growth far exceed that of London since the turn of the century. When measured by a combination of jobs and population increase, Manchester had seen the fastest city centre growth in England and Wales in the period 2002-2015, followed closely by Leeds, Birmingham and Liverpool. London was in 20th position.

With such strong underlying economic fundamentals creating strong demand from an educated professional work force for good quality new build residential apartments, it may well be time to look more closely at the buy-to-let opportunities in the rising Manchester market and sign up for our regular property newsletters.