Autumn opening for Spinningfields’ The Avenue
DEVELOPER Allied London has announced that The Avenue retail development in Manchester’s Spinningfields will open in the autumn this year.
Fashion stores Armani and Flannels have signed up as anchor tenants.
The Armani store was handed over last week for shop-fitting. It will have a nine meter high shop floor, enveloped in glass on all four sides and Armani already has plans to extend the size of the store, Allied London said.
A new 20,000 sq ft store has been signed up by Flannels, which it will use to launch a new format in terms of design and product mix with revolving window installations and new brand development.
The store will also be sectioned into separate key categories – mainline, tailoring, contemporary fashion, casual, footwear and accessories.
Flannels owner Neil Prosser said: “Flannels is 30 years old and Manchester is where it all begun. The new store will be our flagship store with exciting new brands in a contemporary spacious environment”.
“We have six shop fronts and each will be styled with a different brand concept creating a pop up-style shop front. We also have some exciting new concepts for inside the flagship store.
“Lots of our customers have expressed great support for us moving to Spinningfields where the feel of the environment and atmosphere will really suit them and also our brands.
“It is without a doubt the best-designed area in the city and is getting increasingly better-known and busier. Our store is going to be a massive draw, and with many more retail and leisure operators still to come, it is only going to get stronger as a destination.”
The Avenue will also be home to at least two new restaurants and two new bars. Living Ventures, which owns The Grill on the Alley and Gusto Restaurants, will operate one restaurant and one bar in addition to launching a new style of restaurant.
Michael Ingall, chief executive of Allied London, said: “We have revised the design over the last twelve months and have been very careful with our selection of operators.
“We now have a core group of retail and restaurant operators who have proved they can trade well in Manchester. We are creating a new destination that will complement Spinningfields which is already popular with visitors and the many people who work here.”
