Shopping in Manchester Centre

Manchester City Centre is the main shopping centre for the North West. The prime retailing area is based around the pedestrianised Market Street and one of Europe's largest shopping malls, the Arndale Centre. Most major 'chain stores' are located here.

In a recent study, Manchester was found to be the UK's second most popular location for retailers outside London; this is confirmed by the success of the area around Deansgate, King Street, St Ann's Square and the Victorian Barton Arcade, which have brought in top names in high fashion such as Armani, Boss, Vidal Sassoon, Westwood and DKNY. City Centre shopping facilities have been targeted for environmental improvements, and the growth of complimentary businesses, such as café bars, has further increased attractiveness for shoppers.

Consequently, smaller scale and specialist retail areas around the core are also flourishing, such as the southern end of Deansgate and Oldham Street/Tib Street. There is a good choice, however, of other places to shop. Three large retail parks lie just outside the city centre, which focus on the sale of bulky goods such as electrical appliances and toys. Manchester also supports 15 district shopping centres, and 21 local centres (with 25 or more shops), which put essential - and sometimes specialist - shops within easy reach of all.
Outside of the City Centre is the enormous Trafford Centre, opened in September 1998, and within easy access of Manchester by car along the M602 and the M60 motorways - about 15 minutes drive. This has all shopping facilities as well as a considerable range of leisure activities all under one roof, with parking for more than 10,000 vehicles.

Arndale Centre - Manchester Shopping
Located in the heart of the city, Manchester's Arndale Centre in many ways dominates the central shopping area of the City. Begun in 1972, by its completion in 1979 it was the largest covered town shopping centre in Europe, covering some 30 acres in the old city centre, with 750,000 shoppers visiting it each week. With over 200 shops, major department stores, restaurants an fast food outlets it has become a busy and active shopping arcade.

St Ann's Arcade
St Ann's Square, Manchester
In the heart of Manchester's most prestigious shopping area, St Anns Arcade is a small select grouping of high class, and quite expensive shops, tucked away in St Ann's Square.
The arcade really came into its own as a result of pedestrianisation of St Ann's Square in 1984, and the latest £1 million redevelopment of the square since 1995 has won a National Street Design Award.

Barton Arcade
St Ann's Square and Deansgate, Manchester
This fine three storey cast iron and glass conservatory-like structure with its cast iron roof was erected by Corbett, Raby and Sawyer in 1874, and after extensive restoration in the 1980s, has emerged in recent years as a delight to see and visit. It is a Grade II Listed Building of special architectural interest, and now houses exclusive shops and upper storey offices.
The arcade was the first building erected on the newly widened Deansgate. Its cast iron and glass were produced at the Macfarlane Saracen Glass Factory in Glasgow.

The Shops - Trafford Centre
Opened in September 1998, this enormous new shopping and leisure complex has already been designated the "Temple to Consumerism", and is the largest centre of its kind to date in Europe.

Peel Holdings' Trafford Centre occupies a former wasteland site of 300 acres in the Dumplington district on the outskirts of Trafford Park; it took 27 months to build, employed over 3000 building workers and cost some £600 million to complete.

Although it contains all the major high street department stores and chains - (Debenhams, Boots Chemists, Burtons, The Body Shop, Dorothy Perkins, W.H.Smith, Top Shop, British Home Stores, etc), it is much more than a shopping centre. Its gigantic dining hall, "The Orient", has innumerable fast food franchises and restaurants, (including a speciality Chinese street), in a dramatically theatrical ocean liner setting with swimming pool and performance stage with a large film/TV screen.

Even when shops close in late evening, the leisure facilities centred around the Orient , which also contain the UCI 20 Screen Megaplex Cinema, continue on until 12midnight.