Editing Chester (section)

==Economy==

[[File:Bridge Street and the Rows at Chester - geograph.org.uk - 4398258.jpg|thumbnail|Bridge Street and the Rows at Chester, designed by [[Thomas Meakin Lockwood|T.M. Lockwood]]]]

Chester's primary industries are now the service industries, which are tourism, retail, public administration, and financial services. Many domestic and international tourists visit to view the city's landmarks and heritage, with a complementary benefit to hotels and restaurants.

The city's central shopping area includes its unique Rows or galleries (two levels of shops), which date from [[medieval]] times and are believed to include the oldest shop front in England.<ref>{{cite press release
 | title = Visit Chester & Cheshire 2009 Visitor Guide
 | publisher = Experience Northwest England
 | year = 2009
 | url = http://www.visitchester.com
 | access-date = 11 April 2009
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090215215423/http://www.visitchester.com/
 | archive-date = 15 February 2009
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref> The city has many chain stores. Also, it features an indoor market and two main indoor shopping centres: The Grosvenor Shopping Centre and the Forum (a reference to the city's Roman past). There are retail parks to the west and south. [[Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet]] and [[Broughton Retail Park]] are near the city.

Chester has a relatively large financial sector including [[Bank of America]], [[NFU Mutual]], [[Lloyds Bank]], [[Virgin Money UK|Virgin Money]], [[Quilter plc|Quilter]], and [[M&S Bank]]. The price comparison website [[moneysupermarket.com]] is based over the Welsh border in [[Ewloe]]. Chester has its own university, the [[University of Chester]], and a major hospital, the [[Countess of Chester Hospital]], named after [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] and Countess of Chester.

Just over the Welsh border to the west, [[Broughton, Flintshire|Broughton]] is home to a large [[Airbus UK]] factory (formerly [[British Aerospace]]), employing around 6,000 staff, where the wings of the [[Airbus]] aeroplanes are manufactured.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/3594419.stm |title=A380 wings roll off production line at Airbus Broughton |work=BBC News |date=5 April 2004 |access-date=22 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231221013/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/3594419.stm |archive-date=31 December 2006 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are food processing plants to the north and west. The [[Iceland (supermarket)|Iceland]] frozen food company is based in nearby Deeside.

===Developments===
[[File:River Dee Chester England.jpg|left|thumb|[[Chester Weir]] on the [[River Dee (United Kingdom)|River Dee]]]]
In 2007, Chester City Council announced a 10-year plan to see Chester become a "must-see European destination". At a cost of £1.3&nbsp;billion it was branded Chester Renaissance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesterrenaissance.co.uk |title=Chester Renaissance |access-date=10 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928185054/http://www.chesterrenaissance.co.uk/ |archive-date=28 September 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Northgate Development project began in 2007 with the demolition of St. Martin's House on the city's ring road. At a cost of £460&nbsp;million, Chester City Council and developers ING hoped to create a new quarter for Chester. The development was intended see the demolition of the market hall, bus station, theatre and NCP car park. They were to be replaced with a [[multi-storey car park]], bus exchange, performing arts centre, library, homes, retail space and a department store which will be anchored by House of Fraser.<ref name=northgatedevelopment>{{cite web |url=http://www.chester.gov.uk/northgate/news.htm |title=Northgate Development News |access-date=10 July 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070114234947/http://www.chester.gov.uk/northgate/news.htm |archive-date = 14 January 2007}}</ref> There project was put on hold in 2008 due to the economic downturn.<ref>{{cite web|author=David Holmes |url=http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/chester-news/local-chester-news/2008/10/31/chester-s-460m-northgate-scheme-on-hold-until-2012-59067-22157727/ |title=Chester's £460m Northgate scheme on hold until 2012 |publisher=Chester Chronicle |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118210147/http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/chester-news/local-chester-news/2008/10/31/chester-s-460m-northgate-scheme-on-hold-until-2012-59067-22157727/ |archive-date=18 January 2012 }}</ref> However a number of Chester's other Renaissance projects continued, including a new health centre, offices and apartments in the Delamere Street development,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesterrenaissance.co.uk/delamere.htm |title=Chester Renaissance |publisher=Chester Renaissance |date=8 January 2010 |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713064534/http://www.chesterrenaissance.co.uk/delamere.htm |archive-date=13 July 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and a hotel and new headquarters for Cheshire West and Chester Council in the £60million HQ development.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.robinsons.com/editorials.asp?c=69&d=4 |title=Chester HQ &#124; Industrial &#124; Robinson |publisher=Robinsons.com |access-date=17 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715192500/http://www.robinsons.com/editorials.asp?c=69&d=4 |archive-date=15 July 2011 }}</ref> Work on a new bus station started in October 2015 and it opened in June 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/chesters-new-gorse-stack-bus-10227880 |title=Chester's new Gorse Stack bus interchange construction work begins |first=Ed |last=Walker |date=9 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815235554/http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/chesters-new-gorse-stack-bus-10227880 |archive-date=15 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/new-chester-bus-station-begins-11204736 |title=New Chester bus station begins to take shape |first=David |last=Holmes |date=19 April 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816012536/http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/new-chester-bus-station-begins-11204736 |archive-date=16 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/new-chester-bus-station-now-13124049 |title=New Chester bus station now open to some services |access-date=7 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007104348/https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/new-chester-bus-station-now-13124049 |archive-date=7 October 2019 |url-status=live |date=2 June 2017 }}</ref> The Northgate Project is now being led by the council and is due to include a new market hall, cinema, multi-storey car park and restaurant units on the site of the former bus exchange. Building work has begun and is due to be completed in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://chesternorthgate.com/2020/05/council-reaffirms-commitment-to-chester-northgate-as-the-key-to-the-citys-recovery-from-covid-19/ |title=Council reaffirms commitment to Chester Northgate as the key to the city's recovery from Covid-19 |access-date=22 June 2020 }}</ref>