JustEat gets stuck into Sunderland
Following the sale of its Rainton House campus last year, the food delivery app is taking a 10-year lease on 18,000 sq ft at Maker building, part of the Riverside Sunderland development.
Fit out of the offices is underway, with Just Eat committing to take the entire fifth floor, along with part of the fourth floor and a terrace space with views over the River Wear.
Lettings for the two towers are handled by Knight Frank and JLL.
Development manager, Landid, oversaw the design and construction of the buildings on behalf of global institutional investor L&G, with SRM leading on the construction of the building, which was designed by Ryder Architects.
The offices form part of a £100m commitment L&G has made to Riverside Sunderland.
The Maker & Faber buildings have delivered 157,000 sq ft of grade A space into a sparsely populated market, making up a large chunk of the 350,000 sq ft of newly built office space available in the UK outside of London.
JustEat moved into the 218,000 sq ft Rainton House property in 2021, choosing it as its North East base, following a boom in business after the Covid pandemic.
It was subsequently put on the market by Knight Frank at an asking price of £11.5m in June last year, and sold to property investor the Malik Group in November.
Research shows that the company contributes £20.8m to the local Sunderland economy from its operations in the city and supports a further £31.7m of value through the impact of its supply chains
Just Eat’s Regional operations director Kirsti McKernan said: “We are delighted to take this next step in delivering on our long-term commitment to Sunderland.
“Maker & Faber are right at the heart of a regenerating city centre. We want to ensure that our colleagues enjoy the best working environment possible, so positioning ourselves in such a well-connected location means this is an ideal move.”
Mike Coplowe, head of development partnerships, asset management at L&G said: “Sunderland is a transforming city, undergoing hundreds of millions of pounds of regeneration in the city centre and beyond.
“We are proud to have created a space that will so positively contribute to the city economy.”
Cllr Kevin Johnston, portfolio holder for housing, regeneration and business at Sunderland City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see Maker & Faber complete and announce that Just Eat are moving in.
“This whole site is about creating opportunities for local people – from jobs to leisure spaces and homes – and some 10,000 people will occupy the 1m sq ft of office space we plan to create over the course of Riverside Sunderland’s lifespan.
“We’re proud that the team at Just Eat will be among them.
“We have worked with Just Eat for a number of years, first to secure their investment in the city, and supporting them as they established a team in Sunderland, developing a strong working relationship with them over the last four years.”
