Asda is currently eyeing up a new site in Manchester city centre, and let’s just say that the new location has come as something of a surprise.
The budget supermarket – best known for its giant superstores in Hulme, Eastlands, and Longsight – has filed an application to take over a new unit in Manchester city centre which, by Asda’s standards, is positively tiny.
The supermarket giant has its sights set on a convenience store space in the new Circle Square development, which is located just off Oxford Road.
Bosses have submitted plans to open a new Asda Express store in the neighborhood, which is otherwise populated with a host of independent bars, shops, and restaurants – such as hot pot shop Mr Su’s, dedicated sake bar Monkey Trio, Leeds’ North Brewing Co. Taproom, and Antipodean brunch kitchens Tahi and Federal.
If successful, the new Asda Express will open in Circle Square’s Retail Unit T4 with proposed opening hours of 6am to 12 midnight, Monday to Sunday.
Asda launched its first Asda Express stores at the end of 2022 in Sutton Coldfield and Tottenham Hale, as it announced that it had 30 more store openings planned for 2023 as part of an effort to step up its profile in the convenience market.
The expansion is part of a ‘test & learn’ approach to developing its convenience model, which Asda sees as a key element to achieving its vision of becoming the UK’s second-largest supermarket.
Sales in convenience stores are forecast to grow by 13% to over £50bn by 2027, leaving the supermarket keen to play its part.
However, it’s questionable as to how well the new Asda Express will be received in a neighbourhood populated by mid-to-high-price indie supermarkets, bars, and restaurants.
Speaking on the new Asda Express concept ahead of its launch last year, Mohsin Issa, Asda’s Blackburn-born co-owner, said: “The launch of our first two Asda Express convenience stores is a landmark moment for our great business and a key step on our journey to bring Asda to more customers in more communities right across the UK.
“The stores have been designed to cater for a broad range of customer needs – whether that’s popping in for a pint of milk, grabbing a spot of lunch on the go, or buying the fresh ingredients to cook dinner from scratch. We’re confident customers will find everything they need in these stores and enjoy the convenience of having a new type of Asda store on their doorstep.
“I’m delighted to welcome the new colleagues at Sutton Coldfield and Tottenham Hale to the Asda family – leading us on our first steps into this market and am grateful to all the colleagues who have worked with such pace and enthusiasm to bring this vision to life for Asda.”
Featured image – ASDA
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More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Georgina Pellant -
27th July 2023 
