US coatings firm opens European headquarters in Manchester with 60 jobs

The US owner of wood stain brand Ronseal in Sheffield and Leighs Paints in Bolton, has announced plans to establish its European headquarters in Manchester, creating 60 jobs.

Cleveland, Ohio-based coatings firm, Sherwin-Williams, has taken 10,000 sg ft of office space at the Airport City Voyager building.

Support from inward investment agency MIDAS clinched the deal which will mean the firm’s finance, legal, sales and marketing operations will be Manchester-based.

Richard M. Weaver, Vice President – administration for The Sherwin‑Williams Company, said: “After a lengthy and thorough review of a number of European cities, it became very clear to our management team that Manchester offered the best in quality of life, business climate, connectivity, and real estate options in which to locate our European regional corporate headquarters.

“The team at MIDAS was invaluable in helping us through the site location process and providing timely and in-depth market information. We think the selection of the Voyager House at the Manchester Airport as our regional corporate headquarters will position our company to best serve our customers.”

Tim Newns, chief executive of MIDAS, said: “I am delighted that Sherwin-Williams has chosen to expand its operations here in Greater Manchester, joining a growing group of international companies ready to take up space In Manchester Enterprise Zone.

“The company assessed a number of alternative locations for their new European headquarters, and the benefits of Airport City – particularly its USP of unrivalled international connectivity – gave Manchester the competitive edge. This is a great example of a company choosing to reinvest in Greater Manchester having borne witness to the numerous exciting developments taking place here.

“Given the warm-up work undertaken by our colleagues at UKTI who helped to bring this enquiry to MIDAS, the win also illustrates the importance of working in close partnership with complimentary agencies to achieve investment.”

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