Luxury Swiss watch brand to open on Manchester’s King Street

Audemars Piguet has become the latest brand to commit to the city’s high-end retail enclave, taking the 13,000 sq ft former Jack Wills store.

Swiss firm Audemars Piguet has earmarked its Manchester store for its AP House concept, intended to offer an elevated retail experience for shoppers by providing one-to-one appointments in bespoke private rooms.

There are AP House outlets across the globe in cities including London, New York, Barcelona, Tokyo, and Zurich.

The company announced its intention to open an AP House in Manchester last year but did not confirm where.

Audemars Piguet works closely with Watches of Switzerland Group, which has submitted plans for the store at 35 King Street.

The store, owned by DTZ Investors, has been largely empty since 2020 when Jack Wills vacated it, although there have been several pop-up concepts in the intervening years.

WOS plans to undertake “a high-quality refurbishment of the original Georgian property, bringing it back into use as a retail store based on a townhouse concept”, according to a planning statement prepared by Savills.

To learn more about the scheme, search for reference number 139243/LO/2024 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.

Watches of Switzerland, DTZ, and Audemars Piguet were contacted for comment.