Footasylum has committed to being in Manchester big time. The major sports footwear/ apparel retailer has signed a 20-year lease renewal at Manchester Arndale, “cementing its commitment to the North West’s premier retail destination”.

The retailer will upsize to an extended 17,000 sq ft space, “creating a newly refitted flagship store designed to enhance the customer experience and showcase the brand’s full offering”.

With Footasylum joining recent arrivals such as Arc’teryx, Alo Yoga and ProDirect, Steve Gray, head of European Retail Asset Management at centre operator Global Mutual, said: “This is a testament to the strength of the centre and its ability to attract and retain leading retail brands.

“With 46 million visitors in 2024, Manchester Arndale remains a magnet for shoppers across Manchester and beyond, offering a dynamic mix of leading brands across fashion and beauty.”

Footasylum has been big on store upgrades and expansions with the brand having returned to Glasgow’s Silverburn last month with a larger footprint, taking a 9,585 sq ft two-storey unit at the centre.

It has also moved into upsized units in key destinations including a triple-the-size unit at West Midland’s Merryhill, Metrocentre Gateshead and Lakeside in Essex, as well as opening flagships on London’s Oxford Street and the Birmingham Bullring 

In July, Footasylum released its FY25 results showing a strong rise in both sales and profit. And it said that the first months of the current trading year “had also been ahead of expectations”.