Bold Street Coffee is about to open its second site in Manchester city centre, just months after opening its first.
The specialty coffee house, which launched on Bold Street in Liverpool in 2010, has taken up a unit at the leafy University Green just off Oxford Road.
An outdoor terrace looks out over the university buildings and the green, with space inside for up to 80 people – their largest opening to date.
Bold Street Coffee opened its first site here on Cross Street late last year, serving coffee that’s roasted in-house as well as handpicked guest beans and blends from independent roasters.
The new site will serve up the same menu of food – think egg boxes, signature BSC frys, and hearty bowls of super porridge and granola.
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Their staple Buoys will be back – a lightly toasted brioche bun packed with scrambled egg and melted cheese, as well as fillings including sausage patties, bacon, hash browns, avocado and mushroom.
The vegan Buoy has a plant-based brioche bun, with an aubergine patty, scrambled tofu, hash brown, vegan cheese, spinach and onion jam.
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Bold Street Coffee’s incredible butties are on offer at the University Green cafe too, including their chicken katsu club, classic egg mayo, and vegan roasted chickpea and avo with beetroot hummus and rocket.
As with its other sites, the venue is dog- and family-friendly with Babaccinos and Puppaccinos available on request.
Its new coffee shop will open in time for the return of university students, and has been kitted out with some modern library-style desks for those wanting to study with top-quality coffee.
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There’s also colourful artwork from local artists, like illustrator Jessica Lee, adorning the walls above brown leather banquette seating.
Matt Farrell, director of Bold Street Coffee, and hospitality group GSG, said: “We’re delighted to announce our next project in Manchester.
“The transformation to the Oxford Road corridor in the last few years has been dramatic and the ever expanding, vibrant University makes this a diverse and exciting place to set up the next BSC after its opening success on Cross Street.
“We are pleased at GSG to be adding extra roots in the Manchester food and drink scene with more to follow later in the year.
“After such a difficult few years, there is an air of expectation around and I think this marks the start of an exciting time for the city, speciality coffee and Northern Hospitality.”
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Bold Street Coffee is open at University Green from Friday 30 September.
Featured image: The Manc Group
News
North West water bills to see the biggest average increase of anywhere in the country in 2026
Emily Sergeant
Water bills in the North West are set to see the biggest increase in 2026 on average.
It has been announced that household water bills in England and Wales will rise by an average of 5.4% overall – which works out to around £33 a year, or approximately £2.70 per month – from April, which is said to be two percentage points above December’s official inflation figure… but when you look closer at the North West, that percentage rises from 5.4% to 9%.
The average United Utilities water bill is set to sit at £660 annually in 2026-27, with that being an increase of £57 from the previous year – the largest increase of anywhere else in the country.
Water UK says the nationwide rise in bills reflects the ‘significant investment’ being put towards upgrading water infrastructure.
More than two million households currently receive help with their water bills. An extra 300,000 households are expected to receive support in 2026-27. Find out more: https://t.co/DSDpAmawX8pic.twitter.com/N2LFpjxEQE
Water companies are said to be currently in the process of delivering a £104 billion investment programme to secure the nation’s water supplies, support economic growth, and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.
The money raised by water bills can only be used to fund infrastructure that is independently determined to be ‘new, necessary, and value for money’.
The regulator says United Utilities will begin a £3 billion upgrade in 2026 of the 110 km Haweswater Aqueduct, which carries 570 million litres of water every day to 2.5 million people in Cumbria, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester (or nearly 5% of England’s population), hence water bills increasing at a higher rate to other areas.
North West water bills are set to see the biggest average increase in 2026 / Credit: Raibeart MacAoidh (via Geograph)
“We understand increasing bills is never welcome, but the money is needed to fund vital upgrades to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas,” explained David Henderson, who is the Chief Executive at Water UK.
“While we urgently need investment in our water and sewage infrastructure, we know that for many this increase will be difficult.
“That is why we will help around 2.5 million households – more than ever before – with average discounts of around 40% off their water bill.”
More than two million households currently receive help with their bills through social tariffs, the WaterSure scheme, and other affordability measures, and an extra 300,000 households are expected to receive support in 2026-27, taking the total number to around 2.5 million.
Those who are struggling should contact their water company to see what help is available, as support can often be tailored to individual circumstances.
Featured Image – Sora Shimazaki (via Pexels)
News
Deansgate bar Simmons closes just over a year after opening
Danny Jones
London-born bar brand Simmons has closed their Manchester site just over a year after opening their first Northern location.
They’ve lasted roughly 15 months on one of our busiest nightlife strips.
Opening on Deansgate back in October 2024, Simmons Manchester wasn’t just their first foray here up in this half of the country but their only other venue outside of the capital.
An otherwise well-established and popular chain down south, they have a total of 15 different bars in central London, but things clearly haven’t quite taken off as planned here in Manchester.
Placing a poster in the unit’s shopfront besides the likes of Be At One, Yours, The Moon Under The Water Spoons and the Deansgate branch of Slug and Lettuce, as you can see, the fellow franchise founded over a decade ago said: “After much consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our doors.
“It’s never easy to say goodbye”, they add, “We’re incredibly proud of what the team built here and so grateful to them, as well as everyone who joined us over the past year.
“We’ve had some unforgettable nights. We love Manchester, and we hope to be back under the right conditions.”
They go on to thank everyone for being “part of the journey”, but for now, it looks like the room has closed effective immediately.
Simmons started back in 2012 when founder Nick Campbell opened the first bar below his flat in Kings Cross, and their presence has grown hugely since then. The closing sign was spotted and shared on social media earlier this week.
Offering everything from stylish cocktails to New York-style pizza, live music and even private karaoke booths, the place had plenty going on.
With rising business rates, energy bills and more dovetailing with the continuing cost of living crisis that is still hampering both hospitality and the nightime economy, they are just one of many to unfortunately close their doors of late.
For instance, it was only earlier this month that we saw multiple well-known names shut up shop here in the city centre or elsewhere in Greater Manchester, including another long-standing late-night favourite, Revolution.
It’s a shame for any business to close, and we certainly hope they’ll return someday with a model that can be sustained in the current climate.
Daisy Jackson -
29th September 2022 
