My point about shops etc. is that, whilst of course other revenue streams have to replace falling revenues from carriers, other airports seem to manage to grow such revenue by serving passengers on a growing number of SUSTAINABLE services.
Looking at the range of "come and gone" services at Manchester over the last ten, let alone 25 years, even allowing for economic and politic upheavals, the airport seems to have suffered from a merry go round of services coming and going or being reduced in capacity and much has been said here about the lack of drive by management in obtaining and keeping services.