Oseyo, the largest Asian retailer in the UK, has confirmed it will be opening a huge new store in Manchester city centre.
The massive Korean supermarket chain, which already has a popular site on Manchester’s Oxford Road, has just signed a new 15-year lease for a 12,580 sq ft unit in the Manchester Arndale shopping centre.
It is known for selling a vast range of Korean and Asian foods such as Korea Fried Chicken, Kimchi Flavoured Dumplings, and corn dogs, as well as toys, stationery, houseware, and electronics.
Products span ready-to-cook meals, sauces and spices, instant pots of ramen, various styles of kimchi, a vast selection of noodles, rice, and grains, plus powders, Asian snacks, seaweed, frozen food, teas and coffees.
Endless varieties of ramyun. / Image: Oseyo
Cute cans of bubble milk tea at Oseyo. / Image: Oseyo
Elsewhere, customers can browse a large selection of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages like soju, as well as shop for K-pop gifts and Korean beauty products.
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First launched in 2015 with a small shop on London’s Tottenham Court Road, today Oseyo has multiple stores across the UK with eight London sites, a Cambridge store and, soon, two in Manchester.
Its name, translated from Korean, loosely means ‘Welcome’ – a message that is at the heart of the brand.
Isaac Kweon, Operations Coordinator at Oseyo, said: “Our new store in Manchester Arndale is our largest and most ambitious project so far in our journey, and we are excited to bring to the people of Manchester a truly global and refined shopping experience.
“With an ever growing range of exclusive products which we directly produce or import with partner brands in Korea, we aim to provide for our customers a unique experience found nowhere else.”
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Image: Oseyo
Image: Oseyo
Image: Oseyo
Steve Gray, Head of European Retail Asset Management at Global Mutual, added: “We’re very excited to welcome Oseyo to Manchester Arndale as we continue to enhance our varied offer. We place great importance on creating a mix that caters to the city’s diverse taste and we are certain Oseyo will fit the bill.
“With such exciting leasing activity taking place it’s clear there is continued demand for well-placed retail units, and we are delighted to see confidence in Manchester Arndale’s long-term performance; we hope to share more exciting news soon.”
Featured image – Oseyo
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Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Georgina Pellant -
26th July 2023 
