According to JMW Solicitors, Manchester’s commercial property market is ‘extremely busy’ and has strong potential for growth.

Lower rents, good communications and a cheaper cost of living make Manchester beneficial for businesses looking to avoid the large expenses of London. Manchester is also well known internationally. Alan Burns of JMW Solicitors said that Manchester’s commercial property sector boom is smaller in terms of scale and value when compared to London but the North West city is the capital’s main rival.

Burns said: “There are always new developments coming along in Manchester. My impression is that Manchester has a very strong claim to being the second city as far as commercial property is concerned.”

Manchester was recently identified along with London and Birmingham as one of the world’s most expensive locations for prime property in a wealth report by Citi Private Bank and Knight Frank.