A luxury streetwear brand, the British firm has signed a 10-year lease with Global Mutual to open on New Catherine Street.
Due to open in the autumn, it is the brand’s first permanent retail store outside of London, after being founded in 2011 by Greater Manchester-born brothers George and Mike Heaton.
The 5,500 sq ft unit sits opposite Manchester Arndale nestling among other big names such as Harvey Nichols, Zara, Paul Smith, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, and Michael Kors.
One of the features of the Manchester store will be the offer of a bespoke shopping experience where customers can book an appointment with an advisor who will be able to make recommendations tailored to their needs.
Represent already has a bespoke store in West Hollywood, and has also announced plans for a space in London’s Soho.
George Heaton, creative director and founder of Represent: “We are very excited to open our first UK retail store in Manchester, our hometown and base.
“The Represent Manchester location marks an important and iconic milestone for the brand; having spent the past three years planning physical retail footprints, trailing the senses of energy, look, feel, and scent through our partners such as Selfridges and Harrods along the process.
“We’ve been on the lookout for the perfect location during these years and managed to come upon this great store in a prestigious part of the city amongst other luxury brands.”
He added: “The space reflects what Represent looks and feels, through the tones, palette it carries, and the textures used throughout the materials used to craft the interior & exterior. The DNA you’ll notice in our Los Angeles store is carried throughout.”
Steve Gray, head of European retail asset management at Global Mutual which manages Manchester Arndale, said: “It is fantastic that Represent has chosen New Cathedral Street for its first permanent location outside London, especially given the brand’s history with Greater Manchester.
“Both New Cathedral Street and Manchester Arndale are increasingly seeing strong demand from leading international brands which are seeking high-quality, well-located physical retail space to help them access our strong customer base.
“In addition, the arrival of names such as Represent is helping us to provide a strong mix of choice for our customers ensuring we remain the go-to fashion destination for the North West.”
Previously Represent had several pop-up store locations in London and Manchester at the likes of Selfridges, Flannels, and Harrods, and has collaborated with celebrities such as Justin Bieber, The Kardashians, Zayn Malik, and Gigi Hadid, as well as Liam Gallagher.
Their range of clothing is inspired by retro Mancunian designs, according to Represent, and their T-shirt, hoodie, and trainer ranges are regularly on display at fashion destinations such as New York and Milan.
M&G Real Estate and Global Mutual act as joint asset managers of Manchester Arndale and New Cathedral Street.
Metis Real Estate and Time Retail Partners are the centre’s retained letting agents, with Green & Partners retained lease advisory agents.