Academy Music Group Expands Venue Portfolio in Manchester

MANCHESTER, UK (CelebrityAccess) – Academy Music Group Limited (AMG) has announced a new lease agreement with Manchester-based live entertainment venue, Victoria Warehouse.

Situated in the heart of the city, the venue was originally the Liverpool Warehousing Company, and is made up of two huge warehouses built in 1925 and 1936. Retaining its classic internal structure of cast-iron columns, supporting wooden beams and joists, Victoria Warehouse is now one of the only surviving warehouses of its kind.

“Manchester’s warehouses are so important to the history of the city. They give Manchester its local distinctiveness, identity and character, said Graham Walters, Chief Operating Officer, Academy Music Group. “Iconic venues are the life-blood of what we do, and we have significant expertise in running some of the most historically important entertainment venues in the world. We are delighted to welcome this stunning venue in a prime city to our Group; especially as Manchester is such an integral part of the UK’s live music scene.”

James Cohen, the property owner, added: “We are delighted to have entered into a lease agreement with Academy Music Group for our large music and conference space, occupying 90,000 square feet of the 300,000 square foot building. It’s a fantastic move for our site to add both live music and club shows by partnering with AMG. The VW Group will continue to deliver all corporate event business and to place music shows at the venue, thus working hand-in-hand to drive profitability. This deal is testament to our vision to create one of the most iconic events and hire spaces in Manchester.”

AMG also announced this week that the venue would be rebranded to the O2 Victoria Warehouse in accordance with a long-standing naming-rights agreement they have with shareholders Live Nation Entertainment. The new name is set to take effect as of September 1, 2018.

Commenting on the rebrand, Gareth Griffiths, Head of Sponsorship, O2, said: “The new O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester is a brilliant addition to our O2 Academy estate and further demonstrates O2 and Academy Music Group’s commitment to live music in Manchester. This expands Priority Tickets for O2 customers 48 hours before general release and we can’t wait for more late nights in this fantastic city of musical heritage!”