After being based at Downing’s No 1 Old Hall Street for 86 years, Liverpool Chamber has moved its team to another location just a short walk away. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce has relocated its city centre headquarters from No 1 Old Hall Street to Bruntwood Works’ Cotton Exchange building.

The chamber, which represents more than 700 city region businesses, has been based at Downing-owned No 1 Old Hall Street for 86 years but has decided to relocate to the Grade II-listed Cotton Exchange which is just a short walk away.

It offers a range of communal spaces for collaboration and events, such as The Old Hall and roof terrace. It recently became the first UK workspace to be installed with an edible wall of fresh salad leaves using high tech hydroponics technology.

An event was held by the chamber on Thursday to mark the move, its first in-person events since before the pandemic 16 months ago. The Well Connected monthly networking session has been held online during that period.

Speakers included Heather Gray from Bruntwood Works, Claire Kelly at Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Neil Thompson from Avrenim Energy and Diane Cotton at Oxford Professional Educational Group.

Paul Cherpeau, chief executive of Liverpool Chamber, said: “This office moves Liverpool Chamber into the beating heart of the city’s commercial district and highlights our desire to be more flexible and cost efficient for our members.

“The move also demonstrates our growth, strength and commitment to the city region business community, that we are here to champion and support them and, during these uncertain times, this is needed more than ever.

“The Cotton Exchange is a fantastic space for us to enter and we are keen to grow our new relationship with Bruntwood Works and its eclectic community, sharing collaborative ideas that will benefit our members and the Liverpool city region as a whole.”

Colin Forshaw, regional director at Bruntwood Works, added: “The chamber has a principal role to play in helping the Liverpool city region to emerge successfully from the pandemic and we are looking forward to working with them on this.

“The Cotton Exchange is a vibrant hub for ambitious, dynamic businesses. As such, it is an ideal home for an organisation with a mandate such as the chamber and we are confident its new contemporary ground floor space will provide an excellent platform to achieve its objectives over the coming years.”