THE developer behind Belfast’s largest ever grade A office building is heading to France in a bid to woo global investors and help fill the striking new 250,000 sq feet building.
Oakland Holdings is behind the £70 million nine-storey Merchant Square complex straddling the junction of Wellington Place and Upper Queen Street, combining the former Oyster House and Royston House, and which will have space for more than 3,000 people.
PwC confirmed last year that 2,000 of its staff currently based in Waterfront Plaza will relocate to Merchant Square in the summer of 2020.
But Oakland - which is also planning Belfast's first Apart-Hotel on a site at the junction of Queen Street and College Street - is keen to secure tenants for the remaining third of Merchant Square, and has been confirmed as a headline sponsor of the 80-strong Northern Ireland delegation heading to the MIPIM international real estate investment conference in Cannes in March.
MIPIM brings together the most influential global players from all international property sectors, and is this year expected to attract around 2,000 exhibitors and 20,000 investors, developers, occupiers and other influencers from over 80 countries around the world.
Oakland Holdings director Gareth Graham said: “Our Merchant Square development will be one of the most striking office buildings ever undertaken in Belfast and will prove a catalyst for the wider regeneration of Belfast city centre.
“We undertook the development speculatively because we believe the quality of Merchant Square will be a major attraction, and that has proven the case.
“The message we're bringing to MIPIM is that Belfast is a city with the imagination and entrepreneurial spirit to meet the demands of the commercial sector. We will seize every opportunity to make sure that the advantages and attractions of Belfast are heard.”
While this is the fourth consecutive year a group has represented Belfast MIPIM, this year’s delegation will include representatives from each of the five councils partnering with Belfast City Council in the Belfast Region City Deal bid.
Jackie Henry, senior partner at Deloitte Northern Ireland and chair of the Belfast MIPIM taskforce, said Belfast is already reaping the benefits as a result of the collaboration between the public and private sectors throughout the MIPIM delegation.
She said: “A number of the strong business connections made at MIPIM to date have resulted in a number of major schemes being brought to the market in Belfast, and we are thrilled to welcome more new sponsors such as Oakland to the growing Belfast MIPIM delegation.
“Once again we will be delivering a programme of exciting events to ensure that Belfast’s compelling investment proposition is reaching new audiences and international investor networks.”
