Harvey Nichols’ much delayed arrival in Manchester could be postponed yet again as squabbles over costs continue to delay the rebuilding of what will be one of central Manchester’s prime shopping districts.
The delays could prompt Harvey Nichols to turn its attention to Newcastle-upon-Tyne instead, where it has plans to open a fourth UK store.
The upmarket retailer has been tipped to become the anchor tenant of the new Shambles shopping scheme in central Manchester for months. The new scheme replaces the previous Shambles centre, which was badly damaged by an IRA bomb three years ago.
But Harvey Nichols’ managing director Joseph Wan has confirmed that the store is in “various negotiations” for the Newcastle store, and that he “hoped such negotiations will be finalised within the current year.”
In Manchester, Marks & Spencer is at the centre of a row with the city council and Prudential Portfolio Management over access ramps to the new Shambles shopping centre.
At the centre of the dispute is access ramps to the new Marks & Spencer’s store, due to open this November. M&S argues it has an agreement with the council for a double ramp entering its basement car-park. But the council, which owns the freehold of the site, believes one ramp is enough, and refuses to pay for another.
Chris Williams, head of Marks & Spencer Estates Group, said: “We always felt that for safety and convenience we should have a double ramp in and a single out, and we thought we had an agreement with the council about that.”
But Prudential Development Manager Ian Gordon blamed Marks & Spencer for the debacle: “The car park is just for M & S, and the ramp was being built to M & S’s requirements,” he said. “They started talking about a further ramp, but there was no agreement as to whether it was necessary.”
EGi News 25/06/99
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