Arena owner launches ‘rare’ leisure opportunity in Manchester

LondonMetric Property is looking for an operator to take over 100,000 square meters of vacant space at its AO Arena complex.

Specialist consultancy Stärka has been appointed by LondonMetric Property to lease the opportunity, which has been named Victoria Exchange.

The space, which has historically housed offices and the Arena 7 cinema, is accessed from Trinity Way and via Manchester Victoria station. The space is currently divided into two floors; there is one 50,000 square foot unit at ground level and the rest is spread over a mezzanine level.

Designed by Corstorphine & Wright to suit experienced large format operators, the space benefits from seven meters of floor to ceiling heights, according to the owner.

There is also a direct link to a 980-space car park next door. This could be transformed to create a 1.7 acre roof terrace, according to the guidance proposals.

Adam Crossley, partner at LondonMetric Property, said: “This new leisure space has been designed to capitalize on recent significant successes (nearby).

A 1.7-acre rooftop terrace is part of the vision. Credit: via Aver PR

“Following the completion of a large-scale investment project and the launch of the new ‘Mezz’ VIP experience earlier this year at the iconic AO Arena, we are confident that the right operator will further enhance the venue’s reputation, footfall and success.”

The launch of the space follows the publication of a report by Cushman & Wakefield which identified Manchester as one of six English cities that could host up to 415,000 sq ft of new experiential leisure operators, LondonMetric said.

David Bell, co-founder of Stärka, added: “The combination of a large-format bespoke space located in an established leisure and entertainment destination in a world-renowned city is very rare.

“As a result, we are already experiencing strong interest from international operators looking to launch in the UK, along with a number of new concepts or an established brand looking for something unique.”

Launched in 2022 by Bell and Sammy Jones, Stärka has advised several leisure operators on deals over 600,000 square meters including Gravity Active Entertainment, Blacklock, Côte, Bundobust, Oxygen FreeJumping and Bean Coffee.