Stärka Appointed to Lease 100,000 sq ft Leisure Space in Manchester’s Victoria Exchange

Stärka has been appointed by LondonMetric Property Plc to lease a 100,000 sq ft opportunity that forms part of the Victoria Exchange Leisure District, adjacent to the AO Arena in Manchester.

The ‘big box’ space is accessed from Trinity Way and through Manchester Victoria Station, currently split over two floors, with 50,000 sq ft at ground level and the remainder across a mezzanine level. The space benefits from over 7-metre floor-to-ceiling heights and has been designed by Corstorphine & Wright to suit large format experiential operators seeking to benefit from Victoria Exchange’s estimated existing 13.2 million annual footfall, central location, and excellent transport links. Flexibility has also been incorporated, with opportunities available to split the space and create a series of individual units to suit occupier demand.

There is also a direct link to a 980-space car park where there is scope to activate up to 1.7 acres of roof terrace, providing views across Manchester’s skyline that would suit premium dining operators or experiential food and beverage concepts.

The launch of the space follows the publication of a report identifying Manchester as one of England’s six big cities that could accommodate up to 415,000 sq ft of new experiential leisure operators, led by the growth of entertainment socialising.

Adam Crossley of LondonMetric Property Plc commented: “This new ‘big box’ leisure space has been conceived to capitalise on the significant recent successes at Victoria Exchange. Following the completion of a large-scale investment project and launch of the brand new VIP ‘Mezz’ experience earlier this year at the iconic AO Arena, we are confident that the right operator will further boost the venue’s reputation, footfall, and success.”

Following the completion of their merger with LXi REIT in March 2024, LondonMetric Property is now the UK’s leading triple net lease REIT, with a £6 billion real estate portfolio aligned to structurally supported sectors of logistics, healthcare, convenience, entertainment, and leisure, which is let to world-leading operators such as Merlin Entertainments.

David Bell, Co-Founder of Stärka, added: “The combination of a large format bespoke space set within an established leisure and entertainment destination in a globally renowned city is very rare. Consequently, we are already experiencing strong interest from international operators seeking to launch in the UK, along with a number of new concepts or established brands looking for something unique.

“Victoria Exchange is a unique location, already incorporating one of the best established and most highly regarded venues in the UK, recognized for its ability to successfully host major events.”

Launched in 2022, Stärka is an innovative leisure real estate advisory business co-founded by Sammy Jones and David Bell, acting on significant transactions and re-gears totaling over 600,000 sq ft for clients such as Gravity Active Entertainment, Blacklock, Côte, Bundobust, Oxygen FreeJumping, and Bean Coffee.