ASK hopes to lure independents to First Street
ASK Developments is keen to attract independents to the leisure space at First Street after making significant progress at the 500,000 sq ft scheme in Manchester.
The developer is in talks with occupiers for nine restaurant/cafe units, ranging in size from 1,000-7,000 sq ft, and wants to feature a mix of independents and established brands when the project opens next spring.
Over the past year the development, off Whitworth Street West, has taken shape with a string of major office lettings at No 1 First Street and the other components rising out of the ground. These include a 208-bed Innside hotel, an upmarket student accommodation block, a multi-storey car park and the new Home cinema and theatre.
Development director Leon Guyett told TheBusinessDesk.com said he was “in legals” with one occupier and in talks with five others, three of which are independents.
The largest unit, of 7,000 sq ft, which sits on a corner site close to Whitworth Street West, is said to have attracted a national player who has been keen to launch in Manchester for several years.
He said: “We don’t want to have a scheme where everything’s the same. We need to make sure that whatever we put in will be attractive to students, white collar workers, people coming in the evening, theatre-goers, business travellers staying at the hotel and people who live in the area.
“Just down the road some Northern Quarter operators have moved this way, like Gorilla [operated by Trof owner Zecol] and the Dog Bowl [an extension of Blackdog Ballroom], and live music operator the Mama Group now runs The Ritz. There’s a cluster of different people around this area and we’ve got to make sure what we put in here will appeal to all walks of life.
“But we also have to be careful from a development perspective. We need to underpin the value of the debt that’s gone into the scheme so we’re looking at three or four chains and on top of that independents or regional players to try and get a few firsts into First Street.”
