Manchester Northern Powerhouse

History

Manchester started out as a wooden Roman Fort in 80 AD and this was rebuilt in stone in 200 AD. It was a small market town and had later visitors including the Danes and the Normans. It became a wool town and later became famous for wool, cotton, linen and silk. During the industrial revolution Manchester became a hive of industry and became an exporter of wool, cotton, linen and silk through the East India Company to many parts of the world including Asia.

 This was a great financial benefit to both town and country. Manchester has always been a city in transition and regeneration. During the 1990’s the population of Manchester dropped by 20% as jobs declined and people were moving away from the city and outlying areas. The urban regeneration of Manchester city centre has been built on council authorities working together with developers to encourage building new homes, infrastructure, business and digital hubs and transport systems has led to increased job opportunities.

Students

Manchester in 2019 is a vibrant and cosmopolitan university city with a population of over 500,00 and over 200 languages spoken making it by size one of the most diverse cities in Europe as well as in the World. Manchester has 50,000 full time students and 50,000 part time students which is the largest concentration of students in any city in Europe.

The four major universities are University of Manchester; Manchester Metropolitan University; University of Salford and University of Bolton and also home to Royal College of Music and University of Bolton. This has led to a need for short term storage and students will find local self-storage at compare storage prices often on the move either moving from halls of residence or house shares and do not want to move their belongings back home during such breaks of tenancy. Personal belongings, books, course work and IT equipment.

These moves can happen at the last minute even before new accommodation has been sourced and set up. Once they have graduated and are moving to that new first and exciting job it is one less stressful thing to worry about are what to do with their personal belongings and keepsakes they have collected over the time. This can be a cost-effective solution for both students and parents as commercial rent is on average £34 per square foot and self-storage is £2.80 per square foot.

Regeneration

Urban regeneration has had a dramatic effect on the city centre with a concentration on encouraging businesses including high tech and service providers to relocate to the city centre. This has led to Manchester being the strongest performing of the Northern Power Houses and population growth of the inner city 2002-2015 of 149% and jobs growth in the city centre 1998-2015 of 84%.

Relocation for jobs as well as a ready supply of highly skilled and educated graduates form the local universities. Large and small employers have moved to Manchester including major financial bodies, banking, call centres and high-tech industry. Manchester has become a trendy go to city for students to study, party and partake in cultural events. This had made Manchester the third most visited UK city after London and Edinburgh and is home to the world-famous football teams Manchester United and Manchester City.

There has been a boom in overseas visitors which has risen year on year by over 10% reaching an annual figure of 1.4 million. What brings them to Manchester is due to Arts and Culture, Museum and Galleries, Food and Drink, The Nightlife, The Music Scene, The Sports, The Shopping, the Hotels, the Christmas Market and the Transport Links.

Urban regeneration has had a dramatic effect on the city centre with a concentration on encouraging businesses including high tech and service providers to relocate to the city centre. This has led to Manchester being the strongest performing of the Northern Power Houses and population growth of the inner city 2002-2015 of 149% and jobs growth in the city centre 1998-2015 of 84%. Relocation for jobs as well as a ready supply of highly skilled and educated graduates from the local universities.

In 2019 Manchester generates the most income in the UK after London. The average age in Manchester city centre is 27 years old and the median age in Manchester city centre is 24. This is a vibrant young city centre with a population that will tend to move more and will have a greater need for storage for short and longer term.

Sports

Manchester is home to the world-famous football clubs Manchester United and Manchester City. Manchester United have won the most league titles in England and Manchester City are the 2018/2019 premier League Champions. Manchester United had an average home attendance of 74.500 totalling over 1.4 million during the 2018/2019 and Manchester City had an average home attendance of 54,000 totalling over 1 million during the 2018/2019 season.

The revenue from football fans supports the economy of Manchester through Club Shops and merchandise, match day revenue, hotel stays, food and beverages and travelling into Manchester Airport or mainline stations.

Manchester is the home of the UK National Cycling Centre as well as the Aquatics Centre. These are important training resource for the athletes as well as an opportunity for fans to see world class events.

Large and small sporting crowds require food and beverages as well as souvenirs of the event. Self-storage is an ideal way for some of these large and small businesses to store their products and items locally and be flexible in the amount of storage required. 

Hotels and Accommodation

Manchester has a thriving social scene and all those visitors including the 1.4 million overseas visitors require somewhere comfortable and affordable to rest after a busy day taking in the sights and sounds.

There is basic 1* Bed and Breakfasts and hostels through to 5* hotels apartments including Airbnb accommodation. Manchester has award winning accommodation for all budgets with over 20,000 rooms available and plans to increase this by 20% in 2020.

Food, Drink and Nightlife

Manchester has a wide range of restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs. There are choices for all food needs, tastes and requirements. There is traditional pub grub, award-winning high-end restaurants and many diverse foods from all over the world as well as food on the go. Manchester has become a go to place after London for Street Food.

There are many start up street food restaurants that have become established parts of Manchester’s colourful and flavoursome cuisine map. These street food cooks and chefs are often entrepreneurs with a vision and a feel for flavoursome food.

Start up businesses need to keep down costs and using self-storage is a way of storing food and beverages in a dry and safe environment and gives them the flexibility that businesses requires. This is a sensory adventure for all visitors’ students and Mancunians. Manchester can be a party city as well as a chilled and laid-back experience. Manchester has the late pubs, bars, clubs and DJ’s as well as chilled atmosphere and ambience.

Transport and infrastructure

Manchester has well planned transport and infrastructure including superb railway links to London, the Midlands, other Northern Towns and Cities. There is a clean and efficient bus and tram system that provides quick access to greater Manchester from the city centre. Manchester Airport is the third busiest airport in the UK after London Heathrow and London Gatwick.

Manchester Airport deals with 28 million passengers per year as well as around 120,000 tonnes of import and export freight and mail annually. Many visitors to Manchester are regular visitors and can take advantage of local self-storage for short and longer periods to store valuables and possessions.