What Victoria Warehouse does

Victoria Warehouse is a Manchester-headquartered events venue business operating a multi-space industrial venue in Trafford Wharf, comprising seven distinct spaces: The Cotton Sheds (4,533 sqm, capacity 5,000), The Tobacco Stores (1,858 sqm, opened 2023), The Bays (414 sqm), The Cellars (300 sqm), The Archives (210 cabaret capacity), The Cinema (~20 guests), and The Manchester Screen. The venue is housed in 1920s heritage buildings originally built as cotton and tobacco warehouses, providing an industrial-chic aesthetic with exposed brickwork and steel columns.

The company makes money through three streams: (1) one-time venue hire of individual spaces or combinations, with custom quote-based pricing that varies by space, event type, duration, and guest count; (2) in-house catering and bar services bundled with venue hire; and (3) recurring revenue from an on-site 60-guest hotel. Distribution is sales-led, with dedicated event coordinators handling enquiries through website forms, phone, and email, supplemented by an O2-branded music venue channel operated under Academy Music Group that targets live entertainment promoters and touring acts.

The business serves corporate/enterprise clients (primary segment), weddings, private celebrations, music events, sporting events (boxing, MMA, esports), exhibitions, brand activations, and Christmas parties. Marquee enterprise logos include BBC, Netflix, Adidas, Jaguar Land Rover, Ferrari, Nike, TikTok, Booking.com, and AB InBev. The legal entity is Light Leisure Trading, a UK private limited company, with Academy Music Group acting as strategic operating parent and O2 as a music-vertical naming partner. No venture or PE funding is disclosed; no revenue figures are publicly available.

Name

Victoria Warehouse

Legal name

Light Leisure Trading

Website

https://victoriawarehouse.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Victoria Warehouse operates a multi-space industrial event venue in Manchester, hiring out distinct spaces (Cotton Sheds, Tobacco Stores, Bays, Cellars, Archives, Cinema) to corporate clients, music promoters, wedding parties, and exhibition organizers, supplemented by in-house catering and an on-site hotel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Venue Hire: Revenue generated from renting various event spaces including The Cotton Sheds, The Bays, The Cellars, The Archives, The Tobacco Stores, and The Cinema. Spaces are hired for corporate events, weddings, private parties, music events, exhibitions, sporting events, and awards ceremonies.
2. Catering and Bar Services: In-house catering team provides bespoke menus and food services for events. Private bar facilities are included with venue hire.
3. Victoria Warehouse Hotel: On-site hotel accommodation accommodating up to 60 guests, serving event attendees and visitors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Victoria Warehouse is a multi-space event venue in Manchester that rents out a portfolio of six distinct industrial-heritage event spaces (The Cotton Sheds, The Bays, The Cellars, The Archives, The Tobacco Stores, and The Cinema) for corporate events, conferences, weddings, music concerts, sporting events, product launches, exhibitions, and awards dinners. The offering is bundled with in-house catering, AV infrastructure, event coordination, and on-site hotel accommodation, and is sold through a sales-led, quote-based direct hire model.

Product overview

Victoria Warehouse is a multi-space event venue offering venue hire and event management services. The venue comprises multiple distinct event spaces: The Cotton Sheds (4,533sqm, up to 5,000 capacity), The Tobacco Stores (1,858sqm), The Bays (414sqm), The Cellars (300sqm), The Archives (210 capacity), and The Cinema (32sqm, up to 20 guests). The venue operates as a platform providing both physical spaces and supporting services including in-house catering, AV equipment, security, and event coordination. Service offerings span private parties, music concerts, sporting events, product launches, awards dinners, exhibitions, conferences, meetings, and brand activations. Operated by Academy Music Group and partnered with O2 for music events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• O2 Victoria Warehouse: Music venue branding partnership with O2 for gig and concert events
• Victoria Warehouse Hotel
• The Manchester Screen

Products and services

• The Cotton Sheds
• The Bays The most popular event space at Victoria Warehouse, made up of two adjoining areas totalling over 414 sqm. Features a full AV package including screens, projectors, colour-changing down lighters, PA system, staging, lecterns, and microphones. Suitable for corporate events, brand activations, and private celebrations.
• The Cellars
• The Archives
• The Tobacco Stores Recently converted event space spanning 1,858 sqm with exposed brickwork, floor-to-ceiling windows, original archways, and unique steel columns. Features views over Old Trafford football ground, a fully-integrated kitchen, and an extensive PA system including 20 giant projector screens.
• The Cinema
• Victoria Warehouse Hotel
• Catering and Bar Services
• Music Venue / Gig Hire (O2 Victoria Warehouse)
• Brand Activation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Venue has hosted events for major global brands including BBC, Netflix, Adidas, Ferrari, TikTok, and Jaguar Land Rover
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers46 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• O2coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVictoria Warehouse is partnered with O2 for music venue operations. The O2 Victoria Warehouse is operated by Academy Music Group and offers various hire packages for music events and concerts.
• Academy Music GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademy Music Group operates the O2 Victoria Warehouse music venue, providing venue management and event production services for music events and concerts.
• Light Leisure TradingcoreOthersLegal entity name for Victoria Warehouse operations. Registered at Trafford Wharf Road, Manchester, M17 1AB.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Olympia London: Major London events and exhibition venue, recently redeveloped into a large cultural and events destination. Comparable in targeting exhibitions, corporate events, and consumer shows, but with a much broader and higher-footfall positioning.
• ExCeL London: Major UK convention and exhibition centre in London. Comparable as a competing large-scale venue hire business for exhibitions, conferences and corporate events, but with a much larger and more general-purpose format that overlaps rather than directly competes in Victoria Warehouse's niche.

Direct peers

• etc.venues: UK-wide operator of meeting, conference and training venues, with a Manchester location. Comparable as a competing venue hire operator targeting corporate and event clients in the same North West geography.
• Tobacco Dock: Large heritage event venue in London's Docklands offering warehouse-style spaces for corporate events, brand activations, conferences and exhibitions. Closely comparable operating model, aesthetic (industrial heritage warehouse), and target customer set, with a regional (London) rather than direct Manchester overlap.
• Depot Mayfield: Large industrial event space in Manchester built around the former Mayfield Depot, used for concerts, brand activations, conferences and exhibitions. Closest like-for-like competitor in scale, aesthetic (industrial heritage), and event-type mix, operating in the same Manchester catchment.
• Manchester Central: Large convention and event venue in central Manchester hosting corporate conferences, exhibitions, and banqueting events. Directly comparable in customer base and event-type mix, though with a more conventional convention-centre format rather than Victoria Warehouse's industrial heritage aesthetic.

Emerging players

• The Monastery Manchester: Heritage event venue in Manchester hosting weddings, corporate events, and brand activations. Comparable in the weddings and private celebration segment, but with smaller scale and different architectural character.

Regional players

• Concorde Conference Centre: Event and conference venue near Manchester Airport hosting corporate events, conferences, weddings and private functions. Comparable in the North West England corporate events market, with smaller scale and a more conventional event-centre format.
• Kimpton Clocktower Hotel: Manchester-based hotel with significant meeting, conference and banqueting space, regularly used for corporate events and weddings. Comparable in offering combined accommodation and event space in the same Manchester market, but with a hotel-led rather than warehouse-led positioning.
• Manchester Printworks: Manchester entertainment and events complex with a mix of bars, restaurants, and event spaces. Comparable as a Manchester-based event and entertainment venue operator, though with a more leisure-oriented format than Victoria Warehouse's corporate/brand activation focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vicwarehouse
• Facebookfacebook.com/victoriawarehouse
• Instagraminstagram.com/victoriawarehouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/victoria-warehouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Victoria Warehouse