The Merseyway Innovation Centre, a new office space in the town centre, officially opened in a ceremony yesterday evening (14 November). 

The centre is located on the first floor of Merseyway, above Superdrug and McDonalds. It converts what has been described as failing retail space into high-quality new offices. 

The aims are many - to offer accessible office space, provide a place for smaller businesses to grow, and to increase footfall in the town centre. 

Seven businesses have already moved in or are in the process of doing so. They range from a travel agent, an employee insight business, and a GP federation.

The Merseyway Innovation Centre sits at 21-23 Merseyway, above the main shopping area (Image - Alasdair Perry)

Office space reflecting the fast-pace of business 

All offices are rented - this means no business is too tied to the Innovation Centre. Tenants can come and go fairly easily, allowing businesses to respond to their own changes quickly. 

As Steve Oliver, musicMagpie CEO and chair of the Stockport economic alliance, said: "It will be a sad day when you lose a tenant, but if they then move onto a bigger premises in the borough, that will be a proud moment. 

"Here's to the huge oak trees of the future, that will grow from the acorns in this office."

Similarly, Rob Kates, centre manager, told Nub News: "It isn't solely about startups, but naturally, it is going to attract startups. The dream is to get them all the way through, and then see them off into their own office."

The Merseyway Innovation Centre already boasts seven businesses who have moved in or are in the process of moving in (Image - Alasdair Perry)

Extensively modern

A tour of the new centre revealed the full breadth of office space available. Whilst 'conventional' rooms and offices are available, there are also shared working spaces, quiet rooms, and even showers and kitchen space. 

It creates a climate whereby new or established businesses alike can chat and share ideas. Such an atmosphere is conducive to creativity, which is sure to rub off on the town centre (given the innovation centre's situation directly in the middle of it). 

One of the aims of the new centre is to allow a conducive environment to collaboration and idea-sharing (Image - Alasdair Perry)

A bold step for Stockport

This centre in Stockport is one of 31 others across the country, falling under the umbrella of national company Oxford Innovation Space (OIS). 

OIS works with local authorities - in this case, Stockport Council - to build office spaces such as Merseyway's Innovation Centre up and down the country. 

As OIS states: "We help to transform local economies by creating environments where dynamic and innovative businesses come together and thrive."

At the launch ceremony, OIS managing director Jo Stevens said: "[We realised that] if you had some vision, in the way the council did, then you could reimagine this space."

"Up and down the country, there are retail units in high streets that are failing. Nobody can say that about Stockport - it feels like a place that is vibrant, that is growing, and that is a place businesses can use well."

The office space at the Merseyway Innovation Centre is top-quality, and even boasts showers and kitchen space (Image - Alasdair Perry)

The changing face of shopping centres

In a speech at the opening ceremony, Stockport Council leader Mark Hunter said: "I'm especially pleased to open the centre, which I think we can fairly claim is just the latest example of the ambition which we've demonstrated at the council to invest in our borough

"The council is bold and positive in its ambition for the regeneration of Stockport town centre.

"I think it's fair to say that we've made such a good job of our regeneration, that Stockport is being noticed, and increasingly recognised as a brilliant place to live, work, and do business in.

"We know that our smaller-scale start-up businesses need good-quality space, and that they should be well-served by our investment. 

"We don't subscribe to the view that shopping centres are dying; they're certainly changing. We know that if we repurpose some of the space to increase local footfall, and continue to attract the right kinds of retail operators, we can still have a successful and thriving use of Merseyway."

~

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stockport Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

To get our top stories in your inbox each week, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter HERE.

Please consider following Stockport Nub News on Facebook or Twitter