Protected: Retail/Leisure Investment in Affluent Town

The Cathedral city of Chester is one of the premier retailing destinations within the UK and is a popular tourist centre. The city is the administrative centre of Cheshire and is situated in the north west of England approximately 15.4 miles (25 km) south of Liverpool, 11.1 miles (18 km) east of Wrexham and 33 miles (54 km) south west of Manchester.

Chester has a good transport infrastructure. The A55, to the east of Chester city centre, connects in a northerly direction to Junction 11 of the M53 Motorway. This leads to Liverpool in a north westerly direction and also to Junction 15 of the M56 Motorway which leads to the M6 Motorway and Manchester in a north easterly direction. The A55 also provides access to north Wales to the west and the A483 provides access to Wrexham and Shrewsbury to the south.

Rail links are also strong with direct services to Liverpool (42 mins), Manchester (1h 4 mins) and London Euston (2h 4 mins). Chester is within close proximity to two international airports in Manchester International Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Both airports provide domestic and international flights.

The city’s population is forecast to grow at a higher rate than the UK average over the period up to 2026. The city has an affluent population with an above average representation in the A, B and C1 social groups. The level of car ownership within Chester is also far above the national average with a high amount of 2 car households. (Source: Promis).

The city is one of the most attractive central shopping areas in the UK, with a primary retail catchment of 810,000 people which extends to 1.3 million people within a 30-minute drivetime. The heart of the city centre is located within the Roman Walls and is well known for the historic, two storey “Rows” buildings.

The central shopping area has a mix of national and independent retailers and leisure businesses. There is an estimated 1.4 million sq ft of retail accommodation in the city centre and Cheser is ranked 38th in the UK on this measure.

Further investment is being injected into this historic city centre with the redevelopment of Chester Northgate with Cheshire West and Chester Council investing £70 million into the scheme. The development, opened in the summer of 2022 and has built on the success of Storyhouse and complements the existing businesses in the city centre. Further developments are planned for this scheme including a new six-screen cinema. The old library frontage has been transformed into a new arcade and provides a stunning arched entrance into the development, which is also accessible from Hunter Street and Princess Street. The scheme provides new public square for the city, linking the new market hall, Storyhouse and the Town Hall. (source: www.chesternorthgate.com)

Chester is also an important tourist destination, with over 14 million people visiting each year and spending an estimated £2.12 billion in the city and its surrounding area annually. Key attractions include the Cathedral, the Zoo, the “Row-level” shopping and Chester “Roodee” Racecourse which is recognised as the world’s oldest operational racecourse. (Source: chester.westcheshiregrowth.co.uk)

The city is also home to The University of Chester, established in 1839, is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the country. The University has some 19,000 students with five campuses in and around Chester.

The city’s cultural heritage, excellent communications, and significant retail and leisure offer has also attracted numerous financial and business services to the area. Businesses based in and around Chester include Bank of America, DTCC, B&M Retail and Bristol-Myers Squibb.