Triangle is reaching for the sky
A £7m redevelopment programme at the prestigious Triangle shopping centre has now finished. But will it finally attract the customers?
Rebecca Atkins reports.
There is no doubt that we love our shopping in Manchester. So it always seemed slightly strange that the much-hailed Triangle development never really took off when it was opened a few years ago.
However, this week sees the completion of the massive £7m refurbishment of the Exchange Square centre, with the opening of its new caf Sky Bar, which balances 40ft above the heads of shoppers.
Apparently, the smart-thinking owners of the new venue have been pumping the aroma of fresh-ground coffee in the shopping centre in a bid to entice customers to come inside. But will it bring the sweet smell of success to the Triangle itself?
Bluntly speaking, after all this tine and money spent on this high profile “reinvigoration programme” will the customers finally start to pour in?
According to a spokesperson, footfall has already started to increase since the revamp as first started in 2002, when London-based management company, Milligan, took over.
And there is no doubt that the improvements make interesting reading. Over the past two years more than a dozen new retailers have joined the centre, including Adidas Original, JOY, Westworld, Lambretta, Freespirit, Artlounge and Skin Health Spa. This strengthens the already impressive list of long-standing occupants such as Karen Millen, Calvin Klein, and Jigsaw.
The owners have also been encouraging local retail talent, too, by holding an independents boutique for smaller fashion designers to sell their wares directly to shoppers every weekend.
Of course, looks are not everything. But the fact hey have been putting money into revamping the style of the centre can’t hurt either with the massive video screen outside and a range of sculptures inside.
But does this all mean more customers through the doors? Will we actually want to make the effort to go and spend our hard-earned pennies there given all the competition inn the rest of Manchester?
We will find out his week…