The long-awaited opening of the first phase of the redevelopment of the northern part of Manchester’s Arndale shopping centre took place last month.
Fashion and homewares retailer Next is the anchor to the scheme, having taken a landmark four-storey store facing Exchange Square and Urbis. At 150,000 sq ft, the store is Next’s largest in the UK.
Part of the Arndale centre was destroyed by the IRA bomb that exploded in central Manchester in June 1996. Since then, the city’s retail offer has been overhauled and retailers including Selfridges and Harvey Nichols have opened stores on the centre’s doorstep.
In total, the northern extension to the centre, which is owned by Prudential, will add 75 new shop units, increasing the retail floorspace by 300,000 sq ft to 1.4m sq ft.
The first phase includes outlets for Nike, Starbucks and Eat. The majority of the new retail units, including Top Shop’s largest UK store outside London, will open as part of the second phase next Easter.
The 45,000 sq ft store will be located on New Cannon Street, the centre’s new glass-roofed “covered street”. New Cannon Street is to be linked to Exchange Square by a glass-and-steel entrance.
New bars and restaurants are planned along the Arndale’s frontage onto Withy Grove, linking with a similar offer at the Printworks, which faces the scheme.
The Arndale is also to get a new glass-fronted market hall, with a frontage onto High Street as part of phase three of the scheme, which is due to open in October 2006.
Letting agents for the scheme are Lunson Mitchenall, Dalgleish and Tushingham Moore.