A host of celebrities smashed a bottle of champagne and sprinkled a little Virgin gold-dust around the Arndale to make the occasion one to remember.
The guest list was certainly impressive. There was Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris from New Order; former Corrie stars Nikki Sanderson and Richard Fleeshman: world champion boxer Ricky Hatton; Brandon Flowers and bandmates from The Killers; plus cult comedy stars The Mighty Boos h - and all that within a couple of hours.
The night event saw chart band Orson perform at the official after-show party with another live show by Manchester's I Am Kloot inside the store's basement venue.
Thrown out
"It's an honour to be welcomed to this new store," Hooky proclaimed. "Because we were always getting thrown out of the first one on Market Street," he added.
It seems Hooky's legendary Manchester band owes quite a lot to the original Virgin store. It's where the band got together and spent hours hanging out - and, it seems, being ejected by fed-up counter staff.
There should no such problem with the new store.
For the underground venue - Manchester Alive - is to open its doors to unsigned talent from the city, who will be able to turn up and play, as well as being a place for musos to hang out. Tweet
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Didnt the Virgin on Market Street only open in about 1992 or 1993? That being the case, how could New Order have hung about with it and got thrown out of it?
Unless, that is, as men approaching middle age, their idea of a good Saturday afternoon was hanging out in Virgin Megastore like 15 year old kids.
lol.