Metquarter is a

shopping centre A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

consisting primarily of boutique stores located in central

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England. All businesses located in Metquarter are members of

City Central City Central is a business improvement district (BID) that represents around 630 businesses in the retail and leisure heart of Liverpool, Liverpool's city centre, covering a total area of 49 acres and including 61 streets, such as Bold Street, ...

, a Business Improvement District (BID) representing approximately 630 businesses in Liverpool city centre.

History

The current Metquarter building previously served as Liverpool's

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...

, which was reminiscent of a French chateau. The building was severely damaged in the

May blitz May Blitz was a Canadian-British hard rock power trio that was active in the early 1970s. The group was formed in 1969 by bassist Terry Poole and drummer Keith Baker, the rhythm section of the blues-rock trio Bakerloo, both of whom l ...

in 1941, resulting in the demolition of the upper floors. The site was formerly owned by The Walton Group and was acquired in 2004 by Milligan (a retail development company that is also linked with Triangle Manchester the retail and leisure operations in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and

London Luton Airport London Luton Airport is an international airport located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, situated east of the town centre, and north of Central London. The airport is owned by London Luton Airport Ltd (LLAL), a company wholly owned by ...

s) and J. W. Kaempfer and Richardson Developments. Over the space of two years from what was thought to cost £70 million eventually came to a total of £100 million and the former Post Office building was transformed into a leisure and retail centre. Metquarter was opened in March 2006. Following a successful 18-month launch period, Milligan sold Metquarter in August 2007 to Anglo Irish Bank Private Banking and Alanis Capital, the current owners. In 2020 plans were submitted to

Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Mayor ...

to convert upper floors of the centre into teaching rooms, recording studios and common rooms for students at Liverpool Media Academy.

Stores and services

Metquarter is located on Whitechapel in Liverpool city centre and home to roughly 40 shops. It is the third largest shopping centre in the city, behind

Liverpool One Liverpool ONE is a shopping, residential, and leisure complex in Liverpool, England. The project involved the redevelopment of 42 acres (170,000 m2) of land in the city centre. It is a retail-led development anchored by the department store ...

and

St. John's Shopping Centre St Johns Liverpool is the largest covered shopping centre in the city of Liverpool, located in the heart of the city since 1969 and home to more than 100 retailers. The centre is also home to a contemporary St John's Market which has a history d ...

, but ahead of Cavern Walks, a boutique arcade. Metquarter has been called the '

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

of Liverpool'. Metquarter is home to stores

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG, often styled as BOSS, is a luxury fashion house headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, accessories, footwear, and fragrances. Hugo Boss is one of the largest German clothing companies, ...

and

Kurt Geiger Kurt Geiger is a luxury British footwear and accessories brand. Kurt Geiger has around 70 stores, and approximately 170 concessions within department stores, including Harrods and Selfridges. Kurt Geiger owns three brands Kurt Geiger London, KG ...

, amongst others. Besides retail outlets in Metquarter there is also a

Costa Coffee Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain with headquarters in Dunstable, England. Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by Sergio Costa as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. ...

and an offshoot of the Everyman Theatre. File:Met Quarter, Liverpool (5).jpg, Interior of Metquarter File:Metquarter interior.jpg, Interior of Metquarter

References

External links

Official website
{{Shopping centres in Northwest England

Metquarter Metquarter is a shopping centre consisting primarily of boutique stores located in central Liverpool, England. All businesses located in Metquarter are members of City Central, a Business Improvement District (BID) representing approximately 6 ...

Shopping centres in Liverpool Post office buildings in the United Kingdom