A campaign has been launched by some of Manchester’s leading business owners and public figures to drive footfall back into the city centre post-lockdown.
Bury-born ex Manchester United star and pundit/commentator Gary Neville has joined forces with other prominent figures – with the backing of Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham – to create United City.
The collective of business leaders want to encourage people to return safely to towns and the city centre.
United City says increasing footfall is “critical to the success” of the entire region, and will campaign to get Greater Manchester on the road to economic recovery, fix its “broken ecosystem”, and also commission independent research to back up its messages, with hard data and use findings to negotiate with central government.
The founders of United City are Gary Neville of Relentless Group, Chris Oglesby of Bruntwood, Lisa Morton of Roland Dransfield PR, Will Lewis of OBI and Frank McKenna of Downtown in Business.
ADVERTISEMENT
The group hopes to get the region “back on its feet” and back to supporting retail, leisure, culture, and sports businesses, as well as provide support and advice for business owners to make sure workforces are welcomed back safely.
Raising funds for vulnerable citizens is also included in the plans.
United City‘s strategy plans – which looks to creating COVID-secure environments – include input from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Manchester City Council, and its privately-funded research will help to bridge the gap by providing clear data to manage safety in workplaces, hospitality venues and on transport.
The research will also allow Greater Manchester leaders to negotiate with the government on local lockdown restrictions and navigate their own way out of them.
Gary Neville – Founder and Director of Relentless Group – said: “Manchester is built on community and entrepreneurial spirit [and] it’s imperative that this crisis doesn’t remove that from our DNA [so] United City will create a clear path forward for the region and will help to effect genuine change for the people and businesses that are based here.
ADVERTISEMENT
“To make this happen, we need as much support from the business community as possible.
“We are looking for business leaders to step up and lead the change to our working habits, to get our teams back into the office, and back together again.”
I’m delighted to be part of the launch of @UnitedCity. We are a collection of businesses coming together to get GM going again. We will fund independent research to support our messages with data to encourage people to return safely to our towns and cities in a Covid secure way
Chris Oglesby – CEO at Bruntwood – commented: “It goes without saying that the region’s ecosystem is broken without a confident and collective return to a more normal life, and that an economic recovery for the city – and millions of people who rely on that ecosystem – is impossible without a shared impetus to get things moving again.
“Within the UnitedCity steering group, we have professionals who can support and advise business leaders to ensure that they are able to practically and emotionally support their returning workforces.
“The city centre in particular needs life breathed back into it; it’s nothing without its people, and the culture, hospitality, retail and leisure businesses within it have helped create Manchester’s reputation as a hotbed of innovation and dynamism.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We’ll be looking to build a broad coalition with other business organisations and political leaders, with the long-term aim of ensuring Greater Manchester can recover in a way which is sustainable and healthy.”
'What we need is a balanced approach… Rather than the ups and downs that've existed and create anxiety.'
Will Lewis of OBI added: “A lot of people still haven’t even been back to the city centre since March.
“We’re so concerned for all sorts of different sectors, so we hope that this organisation will encourage and help Manchester and encourage people to get back to the city – not in a cavalier way, in a COVID-secure way.
“It’s got to be done safely.”
You can find out more about the United City campaign and objectives here.
Business
First look – Manchester-founded fashion brand Represent opens flagship store in city centre
Daisy Jackson
Represent will open the doors to its first-ever UK store this weekend – and of course, the proudly Manc business picked Manchester for its flagship location.
The luxury menswear brand, which is on track for a £100m turnover by the end of this year, is opening a beautiful 5,419sq ft store on New Cathedral Street.
Set to throw open the doors on Saturday 26 October, the stylish space has been decorated with neutral textured walls and parquet floor tiles, with the shape of a giant ‘R’ carved into the staircase.
In this exquisitely designed space, shoppers will be able to browse the range in person, with a second store to follow in London next year.
An entire floor of the new Manchester shop will be dedicated to the Represent performance wear range, 247.
Founded back in 2011 by Bolton-born brothers, George and Mike Heaton, Represent has gone from strength to strength, and has become, far and away, one of the UK’s best-loved luxury fashion labels – proving itself to be a proper local success story for the Greater Manchester region.
Inside the flagship Represent store in Manchester. Credit: SuppliedInside the flagship Represent store in Manchester. Credit: Supplied
It has collaborated with numerous big-name celebrities since its launch, including Justin Bieber, the Kardashians, and even Manchester’s very-own Liam Gallagher.
Inspired by retro Mancunian designs, Represent’s popular ranges of t-shirts, hoodies, and trainers are regularly showcased at top fashion destinations worldwide.
Represent has been stocked in major department stores like Selfridges, Harrods and END, but this will be their biggest step away from their hugely successful online business model to date.
It will join neighbours such as Louis Vuitton, Selfridges, Paul Smith, Canada Goose, and Harvey Nichols in the heart of Manchester’s shopping district.
Represent Manchester opens this weekend. Credit: SuppliedRepresent Manchester opens this weekend. Credit: Supplied
George Heaton, Creative Director and Founder of Represent: “As we continue to grow as a brand, opening our first physical UK store was a natural progression.
“Given that Represent was born in Manchester, and it’s where our global HQ is based, the city was the only choice – it is in our DNA.
“The Represent Manchester location marks an important and iconic milestone for the brand; having spent the past three years planning physical retail footprints, trialling the senses of energy, look, feel, and scent through our partners such as Selfridges and Harrods along the process.”
Popular city centre coffee house Michaels to open new Manchester Arndale cafe
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Arndale is set to welcome another new resident very soon.
Michaels Coffee House is already one of the best-loved places to get your caffeine fix and a bite to eat in the city centre, but now it’s been announced this week that it’ll become the next independent Manchester business to move into Manchester Arndale after signing a 10-year lease to occupy a space on Halle Place.
The beloved business was founded by Thanasis Michael back in 2017, and has been serving up high-quality and ethically-sourced coffee in Manchester’s Royal Exchange ever since.
As well as offering an extensive range of hot and cold coffee drinks, you can also get smoothies, milkshakes, and juices, as well as curb your hunger cravings with toasties, breakfast buns, soups, pancakes, and so much more.
Popular city centre coffee house Michaels is opening a new Manchester Arndale cafe / Credit: Michaels Coffee House (via Instagram)
You can also satisfy your sweet tooth with a collection of different pastries, cakes, and cookies.
Everything you know and love about Michaels, including all of the limited-edition seasonal specials launched each year, will be moving to the city’s biggest shopping centre very soon.
Speaking on the announcement of Michaels’ move to the Arndale, Scott Linard, who is the Portfolio Manager for M&G Real Estate – one of the joint asset management companies for Manchester Arndale – said: “It’s great to welcome another growing Manchester-based business to the centre as we continue our commitment of supporting local independent brands who are seeking to grow their presence in the city.”
Steve Gray, who is the Head of European Retail Asset Management at Global Mutual, called Michaels an “exciting independent cafe” providing shoppers with a great choice of food and drink options.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd November 2020 
