Labour shortages following Brexit were the “root cause” behind several botched attempts to open the Co-Op Live arena on time, the boss of the operator has said.
Tim Leiweke, chief executive of the Denver-based Oak View Group (OVG), said the past few weeks had been “hell” for his company as the £365 million arena became the subject of widespread ridicule and criticism.
The venue — which developers promised would “place Manchester on the global entertainment map” but is now referred to by some as Co-Flop Live — opened its doors on the fourth attempt on Tuesday night with a long-delayed concert by Elbow.
Tim Leiweke, boss of the entertainment firm Oak View Group, pictured during construction of the arena in October 2022
ANDREW MCCAREN FOR THE TIMES
Delays since January, including most of the recent botched launches, were caused by the pandemic and Brexit, in particular
