King Street Townhouse owners pledge £5m aid package to city of Manchester

Global consumer brand and proprietary technology group, The Hut Group, today announced that they are donating £5m of aid directly into the city of Manchester area.

Manchester is now proudly the base of the group’s headquarters and where 5,000 of its 7,000 workforce live and work.

Through global brands such as Myprotein, Myvitamins and lookfantastic, THG is the world’s largest online nutrition and personal care business. With in-house manufacturing of key nutritional supplements, vitamins, personal care and hygiene products, THG is in a unique position to offer essential production support to the nation’s COVID-19 efforts.

Therefore, THG has adapted part of its manufacturing capability to produce hand sanitisers to help meet the exceptional global demand, and will be giving £1m free hand sanitisers to people who otherwise can’t access them, as a part of the aid being provided.

After discussion with both Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Mayor’s office, it has been agreed that the £5 million of the pledge to Manchester is to be made as follows:

• £1 million immediate cash donation split between two charities; £0.5m to We Love MCR (the Lord Mayor of Manchester’s charity) which is supporting groups and charities responding to the coronavirus issue in the city of Manchester through its Covid-19 community response fund; £0.5m to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity which helps rough sleepers across Greater Manchester.
• £4 million of critical products and services, which are currently in acute shortage across the world. These critical products will be distributed across key sites in the region, including NHS staff on the frontline, working long hours in the fight against Covid-19. These key products will also be distributed to the more vulnerable people in the region.

“Our Trustees are thrilled with this enormous, generous gift from The Hut Group to our Covid-19 Community Response Fund,” said We Love MCR Charity Development Manager Ged Carter.

OUR £10 MILLION PLEDGE: These are unprecedented times and THG has an obligation, desire and ability to support those in need. That’s why we are pledging a £5m package of aid, products and services to Manchester – our home – and another £5m pledge to other markets. @mcr_charity pic.twitter.com/sNqko4Oh7e

— THG (@thgplc) April 2, 2020

“This means we can get even more urgent funds to Manchester groups and charities on the frontline of the pandemic crisis. We are awarding grants every day, to tackle the challenges of loneliness, homelessness, hunger and threat which Covid-19 brings to our communities. This £0.5m gift means we can protect and support many more people in need. Anyone wishing to donate, or to apply for Response Fund grants, should visit the We Love MCR Charity homepage.”

The growing retail giant swooped on Eclectic Hotel Group – the company behind two of Manchester’s most prestigious boutique hotels King Street Townhouse and Great John Street – in April last year in a deal believed to be in the region of a staggering £50m.

The acquisition added to The Hut Group’s existing portfolio of the King Street building which was occupied by Jamie’s Italian and also Hale Country Club & Spa which they acquired in July 2016.

THG has also pledged all 70 rooms in both of its prestigious Manchester city centre hotels – Great John Street Hotel and King Street Townhouse. These hotels will be available free of charge to support both NHS staff and Greater Manchester Police who are working away from their families over the next three months. The luxury ensuite bedrooms will be fully staffed and catered, with THG’s fitness and wellbeing brand Myprotein supplying ‘grab and go’ bags of nutritious snacks and supplements for emergency workers to take with them each day.

Matthew Moulding, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Hut Group, said: “THG is a major global player in the manufacture and retail of Nutrition, Vitamins and Personal Care products. These are unprecedented times and THG has an obligation to support those in need, not only as a major regional employer, but because we have the ability to do so. Everyone at THG wants to help in any way they can. Manchester and the surrounding areas are our home and we have a huge sense of loyalty to the local community.

“Many of the products we produce are currently beyond the reach of many due to recent spikes in global demand. This is why we are working together with both the Mayor’s office and MCC to reach those who need help the most. This partnership means we can better support our incredible emergency services, key workers and local authorities, who are doing the whole of the UK proud throughout this crisis.”

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “This is a remarkably generous move by The Hut Group which, as a manufacturer and retailer of essential nutritional and personal care products, will provide a big boost to the city’s collective efforts to tackle coronavirus and its impacts.

“It reflects the sense of wider social responsibility and commitment to the city which THG have demonstrated since they first arrived here.

“The Hut Group is a shining example of how Manchester-based businesses are rising to the occasion during this difficult time, in both delivering essential products and safeguarding employees through the introduction of extensive precautionary measures since January 2020. It’s this sense of shared purpose which will get us through this challenge.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “This incredibly generous donation by The Hut Group shows Greater Manchester business at its best.

“These are challenging times for us all and it means so much to see one of our most successful home-grown companies stepping forward and giving back to our communities. The Hut Group’s support will enable us to provide better support to homeless people as well as recognise the selfless work of our heroic NHS staff and other frontline workers. I hope this announcement will provide inspiration to other businesses to do what they can to help us get through this together.

The Hut Group have confirmed a further £5m of aid is being pledged to areas outside of the North West, including international markets.