Auto Trader head office moves to Manchester tech hub

Auto Trader, the UK’s largest automotive technology platform, is relocating its headquarters to No.3 Circle Square in Manchester city centre. The state-of-the-art workspace is part of Bruntwood SciTech’s £87m Circle Square development, designed to support science, technology, and innovation businesses.

Set to relocate in early 2026, the new headquarters will house over 900 Auto Trader employees, including its in-house team of 400 data scientists and engineers, across 130,000 square feet of cutting-edge facilities. This move underscores Auto Trader’s commitment to Manchester, where it has been based since 2014, and its dedication to fostering local talent and innovation.

The relocation positions Auto Trader alongside other tech leaders like HPE, Roku, and Bosch, as well as numerous start-ups within Circle Square’s Tech Incubator. It also supports Auto Trader’s sustainability goals having signed up to the Science Based Targets initiative in June 2021 with a goal to being a net zero business by 2040, with the building designed to achieve net-zero carbon in construction and operation.

Alison Ross MBE, Chief People & Operations Officer at Auto Trader, emphasised the significance of the move for Auto Trader.

“We are deeply proud of our connection to Manchester, and over the course of the last decade, it’s become ingrained in our culture. The access to exceptional digital talent and skills from across the region has been integral to our growth and one of the key reasons why today, we are one of the UK’s largest technology companies,” she commented.

“To continue to grow, we not only need more space to house our rapidly expanding data and technology teams, but also state-of-the-art facilities which can support their pace of innovation and ambition. We also need a space where we can welcome the wider automotive ecosystem, our partners, customers and peers to share data, insights and work collaboratively. The relocation of our head office to Circle Square within the heart of Manchester’s thriving tech community will help us to deliver this growth, and it reaffirms our unwavering commitment to the city.”