Greggs has announced the location of its next drive-thru, and it’s Greater Manchester’s lucky day as the region is set to get its second site.
The bakery chain’s Bolton fans will soon get to grab their bakes on the go.
Foodies will know that Greggs drive-thrus have been popping up all over the UK these past couple of years – with the groundbreaking concept for the chain actually first launching in Irlam back in 2017, and the second North West site opening in Blackburn in 2018.
But now, the Greater Manchester borough of Bolton has been confirmed as the next place where residents will be able to get their Greggs fix without even needing to get out the car.
Plans were initially submitted by Bolton-based developers A&F Forecourts back in 2022, and permission for the new site – which is set to open on the constantly-developing Logistics North services and commercial retail park near the Over Hulton area of Bolton – was granted later on in the same year.
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A brand new Greggs drive-thru is set to open in Bolton / Credit: Greggs
Although no launch date has been revealed yet, when it does eventually open, Bolton residents are told they can expect the same “deliciously golden bakes, freshly made sandwiches, Fairtrade coffee, and tasty sweet treats” that you find at every Greggs outlet.
But unlike all other shops, at the new drive-thru, you can stay in the comfort of your own car and make orders at the order point, before driving round to the collection window where your treats will be waiting for you.
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According to developers, the first stage of the new petrol forecourt development where the Greggs drive-thru will be opening has already been completed, and funding for the second phase of the major project has now been provided by Cheadle-based specialist lender, Together.
The town’s second Burger King has also been confirmed to be opening next door on the same site.
🙌 NEW – Case study: Development funding for a new forecourt in Bolton.
🍔 Developers A&F Forecourts have completed the development of the site at Bridgewater Avenue, and have brought on-board the two fast food outlets Greggs and Burger King.
Speaking ahead of the new Greggs drive-thru opening, Ataf Patel, who is the co-owner of AF Forecourts, said: “It’s great to have completed this new project and we’re excited to have brought on board two restaurants which are household names in Greggs and Burger King, as tenants.”
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AF Forecourts already has “extensive experience” with projects of this kind, as they now own and operate 11 petrol forecourts across the UK, and have also previously developed two sites from the ground up.
Gordon Spotten, who is the Business Development Director at Together, said the new Greggs drive-thru and petrol forecourt was in an “ideal location” for commuters and visitors to stop for refreshments.
You’ll want to keep your eye out for official opening dates.
Featured Image – Greggs
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
27th June 2023 
