Brands & Merch Business News Live Business

The Manchester Phones 4U Arena is fine, please do not worry

By | Published on Tuesday 16 September 2014

Phones4U Arena

No shows will be cancelled at Manchester’s Phones 4U Arena, despite Phones 4U being in the process of collapsing. So don’t you worry yourself. I know how you worry. There really is no need. It’s fine. All fine.

Despite being profitable, Phones 4U went into administration yesterday because its suppliers decided they no longer wanted to supply it. Which is a problem, profits or not. Back in the old days of having phones for you, the company was so profitable that last year it saw fit to throw a load of money at the Manchester Arena in exchange for the building incorporating its name.

Speaking to the NME, a spokesperson for the venue said: “We would like to reassure concertgoers that the future of the mobile phone retailer Phones 4U will have no impact on forthcoming shows. The arena will continue to be managed and operated by SMG Europe, as it has very successfully for the last 20 years. Our name will remain Phones 4U Arena for the foreseeable future”.

Presumably most, if not all, of the sponsorship money to be had from Phones 4U has been received for the time being. Imagine if enough had been paid that the name stuck even if the company ceases to exist completely, making it the Mercury Music Prize of venues. That would be fun.

But if the sponsorship deal is indeed dead, it’s worth remembering that the Manchester Arena managed to survive without headline sponsorship just fine between 2011 and 2013. And if the venue is looking for a new sponsor, maybe we could do it. After all, we have a U in our name already, so changing the sign wouldn’t even be that hard. They should knock a few quid off for that.



READ MORE ABOUT: |