Retail booming to the tune of £910m in city
RETIAL spend in Manchester hit £910m in the last year, making it the top shopping destination outside London.
Figures released by The Heart Of Manchester BID (Business Improvement District) in its annual report, published just a month after its second anniversary on April 1, show the city’s retail sector is on the crest of a wave.
The BID’s summer garden festival, Dig the City, witnessed by more than 1m visitors and awarded ‘outstanding’ at the 2014 RHS Britain in Bloom Awards, saw retail sales increase by up to 86% during the event in August.
In September, the BID joined forces with Manchester Arndale to spread its annual ‘Big Student Night In’ shopping event across the city centre retail district.
Tens of thousands of students flooded into the city centre to take advantage of one night only discounts. Footfall soared on the night between 4pm – 9pm, with some areas of the city centre experiencing a 61% increase in visitor numbers year on year and a 38% increase in retail sales.
Following the success of last year’s Chinese New Year celebrations, the BID joined forces with Manchester City Council, Federation of Chinese Associations of Manchester (FCAM), Chinatown businesses, cultural venues and retailers to extend 2015 Chinese New Year celebrations right across the city.
Key city centre streets were festooned with more than 3,000 red lanterns and St Ann’s Square played host to a spectacular light show in collaboration with new sponsors Cathay Pacific and Manchester Airport and partners including the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Whitworth and Centre for Contemporary Chinese Art.
The retail core was a hive of activity; retailers worked with the BID on its red envelope promotional scheme with over 2,000 envelopes were handed out to visitors containing special shopping gifts across the city.
The Heart of Manchester BID represents more than 380 city centre retailers and aims to bring above £5m of extra investment to the city centre retail district over five years.
Jane Sharrocks, general manager at Selfridges’ Exchange Square and Heart of Manchester BID Chair said: “We’re extremely pleased with the results of the BID’s second year of activity, which demonstrate another year of growth.
“Though the last 12 months have posed challenges for retailers across the country, we are very confident in Manchester city centre’s performance and the results clearly show the positive impact that BID events have had on the city.
“This year, we’ve really seen Manchester’s retailers embrace the benefits of working collectively towards the same goal; ensuring the city’s retail sector continues to thrive.”
