Manchester Arndale: the shopping centre since 2003 in 11 pictures, including celebrity visitors
There have been plenty of famous faces flocking to the shopping centre in recent years, but it has also been involved in some of Manchester’s darker recent moments too.
The Manchester Arndale shopping centre is a key landmark in the city centre and continues to attract thousands of Mancunians through the doors for a spot of retail therapy.
We’ve collected 11 pictures that show how the retail hub has changed since 2003, and some of the things that have happened there over recent decades.
Plenty of famous faces have flocked through the doors to one-off events, store openings, product releases and campaigns - including well-known names off the TV, Coronation Street soap stars, pop singers and one of Britain’s most recognisable entrepreneurs in Sir Richard Branson.
But the 21st century in Manchester has not all been a story of success, and the Arndale Centre has been involved in some of the darker moments the city has seen, including riots and a horrifying terrorist attack. And over the last couple of years the retail hub, like the rest of the British economy, has had to weather the ups and downs of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects.
1. Manchester Arndale since 2003 in pictures
We’ve rounded up 11 images showing the Manchester Arndale since 2003 in pictures. Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
2. The Arndale Centre in 2003
How the Arndale Centre looked in 2003, a few years after the IRA bomb blast in the centre of the city. The Selfridges store was one of the new buildings constructed after the explosion. Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
3. Sir Richard Branson in Manchester
Sir Richard Branson visited the Arndale in 2006 to open the Virgin Megastore. Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
4. Pop star Kerry Katona launches a new perfume
Kerry Katona, who shot to fame as part of pop group Atomic Kitten, launched her fragrance Outrageous at the Arndale Centre in 2008. Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images