Merseyway Innovation Centre is celebrating reaching 85% capacity, having welcomed an influx of new users and several existing occupants increasing the size of their offices ahead of its one-year anniversary
Eight new businesses have taken space in Merseyway Innovation Centre in the last quarter, leaving it with just two offices available to hire. The new users include branding, e-commerce and web design agency Create8, leading European innovation and grants consultancy PNO Consultants, and The Teenage Market, which gives young people a free platform to showcase their creative talents. Other businesses now working from Merseyway Innovation Centre include JHR Solicitors, Human Made, Feeling and Healing Therapeutic Services, the National Union of Students and Mentell.
Three existing users of the space have also upgraded their offices following expansion of their teams and operations. These include EK Automation Systems, which provides automation technology and software to factories looking to digitalise their operations; Calculated Performance, specialists in the delivery of individual football coaching across Greater Manchester & Liverpool, and Sector 3, an infrastructure support service for voluntary, community and faith-based groups, social enterprises and charitable organisations.
The team behind Merseyway Innovation Centre – which officially opened in November 2023 is managed by Oxford Innovation Space – says both the rise in new users and successful growth of existing occupants are testament to the collaborative atmosphere created in the space and the reputation of the centre amongst businesses in Stockport.
Rob Kates, Centre Manager for Merseyway Innovation Centre, said:
“There is a lot of change taking place across Stockport. We are part of that transformation and the position we find ourselves in today – at 90 per cent occupancy within a year of opening – shows we have created something that businesses in the area really need.
“Over the past 12 months our identity and what we stand for has become embedded in the local business community. We offer flexibility, growth advice and innovation support, which is proven to be effective with several of our existing users achieving such success that they’ve needed to expand within our centre.
“Word has gotten around that businesses using the space collaborate and support one another to such an extent that more and more companies are coming through the door – including all our new users. The people using our meeting rooms and co-working spaces come across like-minded peers – what we describe as casual collisions – who are on the same trajectory as they are, and share tips and advice about their potential next steps which lead to great outcomes.”
Merseyway Innovation Centre has been made possible through funding from Stockport Council, the EU’s European Regional Development Fund (via Northern Powerhouse), the UK’s Shared Prosperity Fund and from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport’s Cultural Development Fund managed by Arts Council England.
