THE MANCHESTER FLOWER SHOW SEES CITY CENTRE FOOTFALL BLOOM

• Annual event over Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend attracted 70,000 extra visitors
• Footfall exceeds pre-pandemic May bank holiday figures of 2019
• City’s iconic shopping street, King Street, sees 50% footfall increase compared to 2019

Manchester’s annual floral takeover, The Manchester Flower Show, attracted an additional 70,000* visitors to the city centre, according to figures released today by organisers Manchester Business Improvement District and CityCo.

The event which took place over the four days of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend saw footfall rise by 20% compared to the previous week, with the bank holiday days of Thursday and Friday up 20% compared to the May bank holiday last year and up 10% compared to the pre-pandemic May bank holiday in 2019.

Manchester’s King Street, one of several key shopping streets which hosted this year’s show, saw footfall increase by 28% compared to the May bank holiday last year and 50% compared to the May bank holiday in 2019. Overall footfall for last week on King Street was up by 13% compared to the same half term week last year.

2022’s event saw city centre shops and restaurants yet again transform the city centre into a floral extravaganza which this year included The Queen’s Jubilee Trail – 10 stunning professional displays located across the city centre inspired by the Queen’s 70 years of service, the Crown Jewels, the Changing of the Guard, the Queen’s love of horses and more.

Other activity included the transformation of the city’s Exchange Square into Flower Show Square in partnership with Selfridges Exchange Square featuring a main stage, home to entertainment, talks and live music, the Manchester Flower Show Cocktail Trail hosted by a selection of the city’s best bars and restaurants, a Harvey Nichols x Manchester Gin Bar on New Cathedral Street, and a flower and craft market on Market Street.

Additional venues and areas across the city centre including The Corn Exchange Printworks, Stock Exchange Hotel, Albert Schloss, Bruntwood, Manchester One, Circle Square, Dakota Hotels, First Street, Great Northern Warehouse, Hyatt Manchester, One Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester Art Gallery, MeadowSide, NOMA, The Refuge, Science & Industry Museum and The Oast House also came into bloom as part of The Manchester Flower Show fringe.

Jane Sharrocks, Manchester Business Improvement District Chair and General Manager of Selfridges Exchange Square said: “This year’s Manchester Flower Show was our most popular to date, bringing in tens of thousands of additional visitors to the city on a truly historic weekend. It’s a great example of our retail and hospitality sectors coming together to help build back the city post-pandemic and it’s wonderful to see footfall now exceeding pre-pandemic levels. This event has given city centre businesses a real boost and is indicative of what we hope will be a prosperous summer for our city centre.”

*compared to same four days the previous week.

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For more media information, please contact Anoushka Done or Hannah Curry at ECHO on 07732 846650 or email anoushka@echo-pr.co.uk / hannah@echo-pr.co.uk.

Notes to Editors

The Manchester Flower Show

The Manchester Flower Show has historic roots in the city, launching in 1955 and running for nearly 50 years. Following a 15 year hiatus, it returned as part of the city’s King Street Festival four years ago and in 2021 firmly established itself as a standalone event.

Manchester Business Improvement District (Manchester BID)

Manchester Business District is a consortium of 400 leading retail and hospitality brands in the city centre. The BID is managed by the city centre management company, CityCo. Businesses voted-in the BID in 2013, and pay a levy to help fund City Hosts (tourist information officers), customer service, promotional and operational projects that support the vibrancy of the city centre. £6 million is being invested in the second term of the BID (2018-23). The BID will go to ballot for a third term in December 2022.

Over the past 24 months the BID has supported members around lockdown, reopening guidance, legislation and licensing advice, outdoor seating permits, security, policing, Council and transport briefings, tourism campaigns, and government lobbying on a regional and national level for retail and hospitality industries. The BID’s annual event programme includes Halloween in the City and The Manchester Flower Show alongside collaborating with partners on other key city centre events including Manchester’s annual Chinese New Year celebrations.

Image Credit: Fabio Da Paola/PA