British streetwear brand makes homecoming in Manchester

Manchester Arndale has agreed a deal with British luxury streetwear brand Represent for its first permanent retail store outside of London.

The Manchester-born fashion retailer has agreed to take a 5,419 sq ft unit on New Cathedral Street, which sits opposite to Manchester Arndale and is home to retailers such as Harvey Nichols, Zara, Paul Smith, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, and Michael Kors.

Founded in 2011 by brothers George and Mike Heaton, Represent’s clothing is inspired by retro Mancunian designs and has been showcased at top global fashion destinations including New York and Milan.

The brand currently has a bespoke store in West Hollywood as well as a recently-announced space in London’s Soho. After a number of successful pop-up activations in London and Manchester with the likes of Selfridges, Flannels, and Harrods, the new Manchester store will be Represent’s first permanent location outside of the capital.

George Heaton, creative director and founder of Represent: “We are very excited to open our first UK retail store in Manchester, our hometown and base. The Represent Manchester location marks an important and iconic milestone for the brand; having spent the past three years planning physical retail footprints, trailing the senses of energy, look, feel, and scent through our partners such as Selfridges and Harrods along the process.

“We’ve been on the lookout for the perfect location during these years and managed to come upon this great store in a prestigious part of the city amongst other luxury brands. The space reflects what Represent looks and feels, through the tones, palette it carries, and the textures used throughout the materials used to craft the interior & exterior. The DNA you’ll notice in our Los Angeles store is carried throughout.”

Steve Gray, head of European retail asset management at Global Mutual, added: “It is fantastic that Represent has chosen New Cathedral Street for its first permanent location outside London, especially given the brand’s history with Greater Manchester. Both New Cathedral Street and Manchester Arndale are increasingly seeing strong demand from leading international brands which are seeking high-quality, well-located physical retail space to help them access our strong customer base. In addition, the arrival of names such as Represent is helping us to provide a strong mix of choice for our customers ensuring we remain the go-to fashion destination for the North West.”

M&G Real Estate and Global Mutual act as joint asset managers of Manchester Arndale and New Cathedral Street. Metis Real Estate and Time Retail Partners are the centre’s retained letting agents, with Green & Partners retained as lease advisory agents.