Retail in Greater Manchester

[jrb]

A second Royal Exchange scheme secured by ISG InteriorExterior
Following the successful completion of the Royal Exchange on Threadneedle Street, London in 2003 ISG InteriorExterior has been selected for the £3.6 million strip out, alterations and reconfiguration of the Royal Exchange in Manchester.

The works will be taking place in the core of the shopping centre whilst the shops surrounding the exchange will continue to trade.

ISG InteriorExterior to refurbish listed shopping centre in Manchester

ISG InteriorExterior has won a £4m contract with Quintain Estates and Development to refurbish the grade II listed, Royal Exchange shopping centre in Manchester town centre.

The refurbishment will involve a complete makeover of the ground floor shopping mall which consists of 15 shopping units and a bar/café area, and a restaurant and spa at first floor level.

It will also see a reconfiguration of the atrium to expose the existing barrel-vault roof and an upgrade of the present lift system.

The project is due to complete in spring 2006.

Manchester’s historic Royal Exchange shopping centre is set over three floors and a mezzanine level, with an exterior that dates back to 1729.

Full details, images and plans of the refurbishment are below!(I'm sure I posted it before? But for those who haven't seen it yet, have a butchers!)

http://www.ormeretail.co.uk/pdf/lr_re_manchester.pdf

[Chorltonred]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vertigosufferer]

Anyone fancy a bit of shopping?

[jrb]

The biggest extension in town

A MASSIVE £70 million extension to the Trafford Centre has been unveiled.

Work will start soon on the Barton Square development - an open-air complex providing an additional 200,000 sq ft of retail space adjoining the existing £1.4bn shopping and leisure centre.

The new development should be completed by early 2007 and will target the high quality home market with a variety of units offering furniture, kitchens, bathrooms, home furnishings and other goods currently not available at the Trafford Centre.

Although Barton Square is the first open-air development for the Trafford Centre, the developers say its design will be in keeping with the rest of the centre.

A glazed bridge will provide a link with the existing shopping and leisure malls and there will be an additional 630 free parking spaces.

Overview



Tenants

Mike Butterworth, managing director at the Trafford Centre, said: "The Barton Square concept is just going to market so as yet we have not finalised any contracts, although we are in advance negotiations with a handful of key potential tenants.

"The flexibility of the design and unit size will offer a fantastic opportunity for retailers looking to capitalise on a location that attracts many millions of visitors a year. The build is due to start later this year and the scheme will reinforce the Trafford Centre as a leading shopping destination." Work is also proceeding on a extension to the Trafford Centre to provide additional restaurant and catering areas.

The Place formerly used as an outdoor eating and exhibition area, should be completed by next summer.

Some 30 million people now visit the Trafford Centre every year, compared with 23 million when it first opened and, as a result, restaurants and catering outlets are finding they cannot cope with the demand.

Construction started last May, but the work has not affected the remainder of the centre which is trading as usual.

Groundview

[Jongeman]

Cheers jrb.

Here's a bit of a rhetorical question.....

We all know that traffic's already pretty nasty around The Trafford Centre/Barton Bridge, so why has this extension been allowed? Especially considering that IKEA's application to build a store at Portwood in Stockport has been refused, even after appeal.....

What's all that about?

[rolybling]

..edited

[andysimo123]

Its been allowed to be built because its in the Trafford Park planning area. You could submit a massive penis and it would get planning permisson.

[jrb]

Rumour has it that this little beaut at the top of King Street is destined to become a very exclusive up market shopping arcade?!

[highriser]

Gorgeous building that is, one of my faves,,,i see the last unit at the bottom of 1 Deansgate as been fitted out , The Wine Company or something like that

[Richmond_Michael]

yeah i love that building too!!! i like the roof! went into the bank and it wasnt as grand as i had expected?

[jrb]

Good news for all you Apple freaks! New Apple store opening soon in the Trafford Centre!

http://www.ifoapplestore.com/stores/...ntre_0921.html

[Born in the North]

Originally Posted by jrb

Good news for all you Apple freaks! New Apple store opening soon in the Trafford Centre!

http://www.ifoapplestore.com/stores/...ntre_0921.html

Excellent loads of new accessories for my iPod Nano but I hate the Trafford Centre so don't think I'll get to see, shopping in the city is a far nicer experience. Is there an Apple shop in the city ?

[vertigosufferer]

Nice, more shops like that could give me a reason to shop at the Trafford Centre. Only been a few times.

[kids]

i fucking hate the place, full of scallies and people i know, that i don't like.

[andysimo123]

I applied for a job in the apple store but didnt get one.

[ForeverSalfordRed]

Originally Posted by jrb

Rumour has it that this little beaut at the top of King Street is destined to become a very exclusive up market shopping arcade?!

Sounds sweet.

What Manchester needs is a retail building like the QVB (Queen Vic Building) in Sydney, where upmarket stores and eateries are present.

[andysimo123]

I dont like these in door shopping centres. I love Manchesters King Street and the roads coming off it.

[SleepyOne]

I think thats exactly the type of development thats under construction at the moment in The Royal Exchange. As for the HSBC building proposals thats relatively old news and nothing has really been heard for a few months on that particular rumour although I don't doubt that discussions are ongoing behind the scenes especially as it is reported that HSBC are looking for new premises in central Manchester.

[jrb]

Triangle sold in £67m deal




MANCHESTER'S Corn Exchange has been sold for £67m, three months after the owners insisted it wasn't for sale.

The Norwich Property Trust, the largest authorised commercial property unit trust in the UK, has acquired the Triangle - as the Corn Exchange was controversially renamed - from American property company the Blackstone Group and its UK-based partners Milligan Retail Resorts.

The shopping centre includes 190,000 sq ft of retail space with tenants including Adidas Originals, Calvin Klein, Jigsaw, Karen Millen, Westworld, Lambretta, Muji and Caffe Nero. It is two years since the Blackstone Group and Milligan Retail launched a £9m revamp of the shopping centre, which they acquired in 2002 for a figure rumoured to be close to £50m.



The Norwich Property Trust is managed by Morley Fund Management, which is one of the largest property investors in Europe.

Quality

Geraldine Davies, manager of the Norwich and fund manager at Morley, said: "We're pleased to have bought a high-quality, fashion-focussed scheme, which fits well with the investment strategy of the trust."

In June, the Manchester Evening News revealed that Blackstone and Milligan had appointed Manchester surveyors Lewis Ellis to sound out potential buyers after approaches from potential investors.

Blackstone and Milligan bought the centre for £50m in 2002. It was Blackstone's first big purchase outside London and hailed at the time as a sign that Manchester had made its mark on the international property scene.


The new owners launched a £4m revamp at the centre, created out of the shell of the old Corn Exchange in 2000.

Five years ago, the then owners Frogmore rescued the building after the 1996 terrorist bomb.

[jrb]