Only three years ago we reported on the amount of empty shop units there, but today the street is near paved with gold
King Street in Manchester has welcomed a number of high end boutiques in recent weeks(Image: Manchester Evening News)
What a difference three years can make. Back in 2022, the MEN was reporting on the number of empty units on what has long been called Manchester’s poshest shopping street – King Street.
Back then, post-Covid lockdown, a succession of retailers had moved out, and the number of empty units was raising eyebrows – although landlords had promised that big things were on the way.
And boy were they right.
For walk along this same cobbled stretch today between Cross Street and Deansgate and there’s an embarrasment of riches. Quite literally.
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This section of King Street now plays host to high end designers with regional fashion exclusives, a raft of jewellers and boutiques, and some of the most expensive diamond and watch brands in the world nestled among its hotchpotch of attractive listed buildings along the parade.
Boodles on one side and Gail’s Bakery on the other on the burgeoning stretch of King Street in Manchester(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
There’s more than a whiff of Mayfair in the air – not least as a number of the exclusive jewellers have tight security and doormen to let you in, akin to the capital’s plushest shopping district.
Ever likely Gails, the lauded London bakery, chose King Street as its first Manchester city centre location amid its own rapid expansion in 2024.
The King Street renaissance seems near complete now that Audemars Piguet, a watch brand renowned for its million pound timepieces, has taken over the entire Georgian mansion at the heart of King Street, the oldest surviving property here, and arguably its grandest.
It quietly opened one of its ultra-exclusive AP House concept stores earlier this year, only the second in the UK after London, inside the historic 18th century mansion and now ushers in the region’s wealthiest figures for shopping trips.
The AP House – with million-pound watches – has taken over one of Manchester’s oldest buildings on King Street(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
AP watches retail for dizzying amounts of money – entry level is £30,000, and they go up to £1mn+ for the diamond-encrusted versions, although I’m told there’s no upper limit to the amount you can spend on one of these watches.
If you want rubies and diamonds, then you shall have rubies and diamonds basically.
It’s SO exclusive that you need to book an appointment to go inside – and when you arrive, by buzzer, security personnel use fingerprint recognition to open the doors.
It’s hardly surprising when you consider the jawdropping prices of the Audemar Piguet watches inside.
The boutique offers high net worth individuals the opportunity to try on some of the range before deciding which of the five-figure, six-figure or even seven-figure styles you’d like to go for.
The roof terrace at the AP House on King Street – with view of St Ann’s Church(Image: (C) Audemars Piguet)
The sky is literally the limit here, and to make that decision even more enticing for customers they’ve converted the space into a grand entertaining palace.
There’s a Factory Records room on one floor, with hand-picked vinyls lining the wall, craft beer on tap (their own brew from a local indie) and a spectacular roof terrace to boot.
The AP House concept is to reimagine how the brand’s founders – 18th century Swiss watchmakers Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet –might tend to their clients if they were living in the 21st century.
As for who their customers are? Well, staff there told me the reason AP chose Manchester is due to the high number of business owners and entrepreneuers based in the city – as well as high net worth customers across the north west who find it easier to travel in to Manchester rather than London.
They say there’s a “growing community of watch collectors and enthusiasts in Manchester.”
Inside AP House(Image: (C) Audemars Piguet)
They’re not counting on window shoppers and passing trade at this level of pricing though that’s for sure.
At the other end of King Street, Boodles inhabits the district’s other most spectacular historic unit – the Goodalls Building – a majestic 19th century black and white timber-clad building that started off life as a furnishings warehouse where besuited doormen welcome
And the family-run business is in the midst of expanding too, amid high demand for premium jewellery in Manchester right now.
Indeed, there’s been something of a boom in the city’s “jewellery quarter” with neighbouring St Ann’s Square welcoming a vast new Mappin & Webb in recent weeks too.
Boodles inside the landmark Goodall Building(Image: Boodles)
Boodles took over the former jewellers store next door, they’re now spending “millions” in creating a lavish new Patek Phillipe boutique, a hub for another of the world’s most exclusive and eye-wateringly expensive watches.
Boodles’ managing director Jody Wainwright said Manchester remains one of its busiest stores – “second only to Kensington” in terms of volume of sales.
The family-run jewellers has been a fixture of King Street for the past 45 years, switching to its current location some 10 years ago from the neighbouring building.
Jody said: “We’ve been on King street 45 years… Spinningfields tempted us at one point, but we decided to stay here and we’re glad we did.”
I mention what the AP House staff said about the number of business-owners in the north west fuelling interest in the luxury market. He said: “The thing we feel as jewellers in the north west is that people are making things, people are running their own businesses here.
(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
“We are talking about people who have really good productivity and people enjoying the money they’ve earned which is a little different than London where there’s a lot of financial people.
“Our customers like the fact we are a family run business, people like that we have great staff and enjoy spending their money with us.”
The work is underway at the Patek Phillippe boutique, which Jody says will be quite spectacular, and there will also be a refurbishment of the existing store as well.
“It’s costing us millions,” groans Jody. “But absolutely it will be worth it. We’re not going anywhere, we love it on King Street and we have a very good landlord who trusts us with what we’re doing, that we’re adding value to an historic building here.”
Is there a bit of keeping up with the Joneses with AP House opening up a couple of doors along, I ask?
Jody says: “It’s great competition and we should all welcome it. It raises the bar and it makes us all better if we have lovely jewellery along this street, it really shines. The restaurants along here help as well, it makes people hang around a bit longer.”
Pep Guardiola and his fellow investors Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano with two star Michelin chef Paco Pérez at their Catalan restaurant Tast in King Street(Image: Submit)
Ah yes the restaurants. This section of King Street can also lay claim to Tast, the restaurant co-owned by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, as well as the award-winning El Gato Negro Tapas.
The arrival of hip chain Blank Street coffee at the corner of Cross Street and King Street was also another welcome boost to retailers, and a driver to some of the new businesses choosing here.
Me+Em, the luxury fashion brand loved by celebrities and royals, chose King Street for its first opening in Greater Manchester earlier this summer.
Founder Clare Hornby is originally from Oldham so knew well of King Street’s long-standing reputation as the city’s premier shopping street.
Me+Em opened on King Street in the summer(Image: Me+Em)
And after looking at a number of units across the city, found it to be the perfect fit for the brand.
Clare told the MEN: “There’s nothing like being in a place, so I spent as much time in Manchester choosing our store as I did in New York.
“We chose King Street because we could feel it happening, it’s got some good restaurants there, and our site it’s a prominent corner site, next to Blank Street coffee.
“We could see the street going from strength to strength, and with the arrival of AP Town House, it was all positive for us.”
Shoes, suits, tapas and jewellers along King Street(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Following hot on the heels of Me+Em came American Vintage, a hip streetwear brand choosing to locate its first Manchester store on King Street.
Other high end brands here include Belstaff, The Little White Company, Whistles and collectible trainer store Crepslocker.
There’s posh gentlemen shoemaker Loake sitting oposite heritage jewellers Hancocks, and several more smaller diamond boutiques and modern jewellery brand Monica Vinader here.
Luxury perfume company Jo Malone London also chose King Street for their latest boutique when they opened up here last year.
(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
UK general manager Rachel Baker said: “We feel that King Street’s unique character and energetic atmosphere captures the essence of British craftsmanship that is at the heart of Jo Malone London.”
Much of the stretch of historic buildings here are owned by the same landlords, DTZ Investors.
And there’s a feeling right now that success is breeding success – as more big names arrive here, it encourages others to invest there.
Key to it all appears to be the mix of shops and restaurants, tapping in to a more experience-based approach to luring in shoppers.
Belstaff, Loake, Hancocks are among the wealth of boutiques on King Street(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Holly Witcomb, Associate Director at DTZ Investors, said: “King Street continues to thrive, with a wave of new global, high-profile brands choosing it as their home – highlighting its enduring appeal and growing momentum.
“Such huge brands are choosing Manchester as a secondary base outside of their native city, which we can only put down to the street’s thriving retail and F&B scene, increasing investment, and high footfall.
“There has been a significant knock-on effect of these brands landing on King Street in recent months, all recognising that the potential for significant business growth is a foregone conclusion.”
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