Manchester
Demographic and culture
Widely regarded as England’s second city, Manchester has a rich history and vibrant cultural scene that have attracted top profile UK and international businesses including the Bank of New York, American Express and the General Medical Council.
Manchester boasts the following accolades:
- No 1 UK business location outside of London*
- The largest sub-regional economy in the UK outside of London
- Uk ’s 3 rd most densely populated conurbation with a vast local labour market
- Over 60% of the UK's population within 2-hours drive
- UK ’s most popular tourist destination after London and Edinburgh with 3.5 million annual visitors
- 65 of the FTSE 100 companies have representation in the North West, along with 600+ major overseas companies
- Manchester Airport is the third largest airport in the UK and it is estimated that by the year 2011, approximately 30 million will be using the airport annually.
- Internationally, Manchester is a preferred “business location” ahead of Paris, Brussels and Frankfurt*
*2004 European Cities Monitor
The city centre has been transformed with a number of significant developments including:
- Shambles Square
- Exchange Square
- The Printworks entertainment complex
- Triangle Shopping Centre
- National retailers including Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer
- International Conference Centre
- The Bridgewater Concert Hall
- Urbis Museum
