The new ‘disruptor’ wants in on Manchester’s ‘creative energy’
St Ann’s Square is welcoming a UK first to the neighbourhood next month(Image: Manchester Evening News)
For a good amount of time now, St Ann’s Square has been known as a bit of a jewel in Manchester’s retail district.
Home to luxury brands like OMEGA, Christopher James, and Mappin & Webb, it has been a spot in the city centre offering a premium shopping experience with top names in jewellery, clothes and homeware. But one thing it’s not had, until now, is a car garage.
Next month, premium European car brand CUPRA will be moving into the neighbourhood with its first ever UK Car Garage, which will feature not only a chance to shop for new electronic vehicles but also a cultural hub focusing on music, food and wellness.
The Spanish brand started life as a performance sub-brand of the SEAT car manufacturer in 1996 and was introduced into its own brand seven years ago. Since then, it has sold more than 800,000 vehicles across the world and has dedicated garages in the likes of Milan, Sydney, Paris, Munich, and Mexico.
Their cars include the CUPRA Born hatchback, which was introduced in 2021 as their first 100% electric model blending technology with a ‘sporty heart’. The brand also has a partnership with FC Barcelona until 2029.
The CUPRA City Garage in Munich(Image: CUPRA)
CUPRA’s City Garage’s serve as more than just a car showroom, often featuring regular events that ‘satisfy the variety of passions that move the members of the CUPRA tribe’ including live performances, art exhibitions, expert talks, cocktail bars, and good coffee.
Perhaps a car dealership is not something that many people, again until now, have been asking for in St Ann’s Square – but it’s testament to a changing face of the area. In recent years, it’s also seen the arrival of the likes of Moss Bros. and COS.
CUPRA seems to think the city centre is more than ready to house their first ever UK Car Garage. The brand said it had chosen Manchester for its ‘unrivalled cultural impact and creative energy’.
“Manchester was the natural destination for us,” Marcus Gossen, CUPRA UK Brand Director, said. “The desire to continually evolve and transform is something we share with this great city, as well as its disruptive spirit.
The CUPRA City Garage in Paris features its own cafe, whilst others include cocktail bars(Image: CUPRA)
“The CUPRA City Garage allows us to take CUPRA to the heart of the world’s most dynamic cities – and Manchester rightly takes its place on that list. We want the space to become a cultural hub within the city and an opportunity for the brand to contribute positively to its new surroundings.”
Marking the 12th CUPRA City Garage in the world, the Manchester location will serve as a ‘high-impact cultural destination’, focused on connection and creativity, which will bring together the brand’s Mediterranean roots with the spirit of the city. Original plans for the space also included an outside area of seven tables.
The showroom will feature a evolving calendar of immersive experiences and events, that are set to be rooted in music, design, wellness, food, and performance. Details will be announced in the near future on events coming to the venue.
The CUPRA City Garage will open in Manchester’s St Ann’s Square on June 26.