Lined with high end boutiques, King Street has a reputation as a prime shopping destination in the city centre.
The district's historic buildings and passageways also attract sightseers, and its proximity to St Ann’s Square and Deansgate means there’s always someone walking by. That provides a healthy level of footfall for the shops.
However, several units on the pedestrianised stretch of King Street, between Cross Street and Deansgate - are vacant, with ‘to let’ signs plastered across their frontages. On Tuesday (May 2), the Manchester Evening News counted 12 empty premises - out of a total of 41 units at street-level.
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Although business leaders say half of the empty units have offers on them, at the time of writing, it means more than a quarter of the street's commercial properties are dormant.
Insiders believe it's ultimately a reflection of the slowdown in the British economy rather than a case of the area not being attractive to businesses and shoppers.
But running a business in a prime location like King Street is not quite the same as running a shop on a run-of-the-mill high street, as businesses, the council and commerce groups explained to the M.E.N.
“I know the rent is a lot”
One trader that neighbours some of the empty units is King Street Grooming. Jack Bates is a barber at the salon, and has seen plenty of businesses come and go.
“I know the rent is a lot,” he explained, pointing to empty units on both sides of King Street.
The historic beauty of the street sets boundaries as well. “A lot are listed buildings," says Jack. "So we can use the rooms upstairs for treatments, but we are paying for a cellar that we cannot use at the bottom because the floor dips down.”
Listed status can mean limitations on use as well as well as layout - for example, if a jeweller moves out of a store, it might not be possible to convert it into a restaurant.
However, that listed status is a draw for shoppers, with the architectural styles of the area's buildings attracting visitors.
That makes the road a destination, and more desirable than Manchester’s other retail venues, according to Olivia Wasp and Sue Cooper in White Stuff, who say outdoor, seasonal events help boost footfall.
“I guess I have seen a few units shut,” said OIivia. “Considering it’s a nice street you would think it would be busier.”
Sue added: “The Christmas Markets definitely help, and the flower show coming has. Anything on King Street or St Ann’s Square will help us. We would still rather be here than on Market Street.”
White Stuff recently moved from the corner of King Street and Ridgefield to another unit closer to Cross Street.
“We are seeing more and more finally being occupied”
Bekki Turner, who works in the Kuoni travel agents, started working in the store in December 2021 and says she is seeing signs of a comeback on the street.
“It’s got better,” she recalled. “[When I joined] a lot were empty. We are seeing more and more finally being occupied. It has always been busier with the markets, but we can find it’s chaotic too.”
The improving nature of the street is reflected by Dany, who works in Clark’s. She explained: “I would say it’s got better. We opened in October, and that’s brought more footfall (to the street). Since then two more shops have opened, like the suit store next door and there’s another.
“Since we have been here, it has got better, but the scaffolding is not helping with footfall. It was really good with the markets and the flower show, though.”
But it’s not just retail which is populating units which have become empty in the pandemic's wake — food and drinks ventures are, too.
“There are more eateries coming, Gordon Ramsay is coming to the top of the street,” Dany went on. It’s very promising because there is a lot of work going on to get it back to the place it was.”
And that drive to get more people in seems to be working, according to Vaughan Allen — the chief executive of CityCo & the Manchester City Centre business improvement district. He said: "King Street is continuing to evolve, as it always has.
“New restaurants and bakeries including Lucky Cat and Gail’s are opening in the next few weeks — and of the current empty units, half have offers in on them.
"Footfall is up on last year, and as we get into summer, with events like The Manchester Flower Festival, hospitality businesses will have outside dining once more, in turn encouraging more people to visit and linger.
"There are always limitations when you work with historic buildings, but they give the street a flavour and atmosphere unlike anywhere else in the city centre."
The revival of King Street is a sign that the city-centre is making a post-Covid recovery, according to Bev Craig.
The leader of Manchester City Council said: "King Street is an iconic shopping destination that has been attracting visitors for decades. Of course, city centre shopping has changed in recent years and that has meant we - alongside our partners at City Co - have had to adapt as well to ensure that our city centre continues to be a vibrant, exciting place.
"For King Street, this has included supporting more hospitality businesses to open alongside the traditional retail offer, which has attracted a new generation of visitors - and helped by new outdoor seating that has increased the footprint and viability of businesses. And with some exciting new names arriving on King Street in the coming weeks, we are seeing the positive impact of this work.
“We also welcome wider development in this part of the city centre, such as the investment at the historic Kendals building and major projects at both the nearby Great Northern Warehouse and Renaissance Hotel on Deansgate – showing that investor confidence is high in Manchester and the signs of economic growth that are particularly important as we continue to recover following the pandemic.
“Future investment along Deansgate to create a pedestrian friendly destination is another example of how we are continually looking to improve and evolve our city centre to support businesses and attract visitors, ensuring that Manchester remains a must-visit city.”
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