It’s been a difficult year for the General Stores brand, with half of its estate forced to close – but there is light on the horizon, in the form of a new shop at Kampus.
The Manchester-born business has built a reputation for building the city’s coolest corner shops, where your usual essentials rub shoulders with local suppliers.
Along the way, that’s included Ancoats General Store, Stretford Food Hall, and the now-closed Sale Food Hall.
Its newest site has been five long years in the making, and is finally now open in the garden neighbourhood of Kampus.
With black and stainless steel fixtures, concrete floors, and bright strips of lighting, it’s way more futuristic than your average corner shop.
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Inside, you’ll find a Green and Grounded plant shop selling lush houseplants, and Bohee Cafe, with cakes, bakes, and coffees.
There are freshly-made sandwiches to go from Sndwch, and beers from local breweries like Shindigger and Cloudwater in the fridges.
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Upstairs is an enormous mezzanine level that will be used for events, from yoga to wine tastings.
Speaking of the opening on their social media channels, General Stores said: “Kampus General Store has been 5 years in the making. We are so grateful for the opportunity and patience by all involved to bring this project to fruition…a warm Thank You to them.
“Our business has been through a tough time recently resulting in the closure of half of our estate.
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“Making tough decisions and facing into pressure points hasn’t been easy and the daily focus continues to be around staying positive and moving forward.
“With that being said, it is exciting to be delivering another store with new twists and more opportunity for collaborations than ever before!”
General Stores joins other local food and drink businesses at Kampus including Nell’s, Great North Pie Co, and Beeswing.
This week, the area also welcomed the festive pop-up Bar Hutte for the first time, with karaoke cabins, winter drinks and live music.
Muse at Co-op Live, Manchester – stage times, setlist, tickets and more
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Legendary rock band Muse will bring their long awaited European and UK Tour to the Co-op Live for two nights this week.
The tour is set to showcase Muse’s tenth studio album The Wow! Signal, along with their latest single Nightshift Superstar and Hush with Ellie Goulding.
This new material explores themes of cosmic communication, technological anxiety, existential wonder, and the search for meaning in an ever changing and increasingly disconnected world.
Since forming in 1994, Muse have released nine studio albums, selling over 30 million units worldwide – it’s fair to say they’re a pretty big deal and we are proud to be hosting them at the Co-op Live.
The multi-award-winning band are widely regarded as one of the world’s most innovative live performers, with their iconic, space-rock, upbeat sound – trust us this is not one you want to miss out on.
Find all that you could possibly need to know about Muse’s Manchester shows below…
Can you still get tickets to see Muse in Manchester?
Yes, you can stop the Hysteria – there is a selection of general, premium and verified resale tickets left, for both nights in Manchester.
You can buy tickets for Muse’s Thursday night show HERE, from £96.70.
And tickets to see Muse in Manchester on Friday night are available HERE, from £50.70.
What songs can Muse fans expect to hear on the setlist?
Muse are playing in Manchester this week. Credit: Tim Saccenti
Manchester is the very first night of the Muse European tour, so we’re not 100% sure what the setlist will be yet.
But judging from past gigs, Muse’s The Wow! Signal Europa Tour is set to feature a complete mix of career defining classics and fresh tracks.
Here’s the setlist they used in the US earlier this year:
Interlude
Hysteria
Cryogen
Supermassive Black Hole
Hexagons
Intro
Map of the Problematique
Unravelling
Kill or Be Killed
Be With You
Psycho
Madness
Plug In Baby
Hanging in Victory Square
Time Is Running Out
Uprising
Knights of Cydonia
The 2nd Law: Isolated System
Nightshift Superstar
Algorithm
Undisclosed Desires
Prelude
Starlight
Take a Bow
Who is supporting Muse in Manchester?
Dead Poet Society are joining Muse for their Manchester dates.
The American rock band began as an independent, recording and producing all of their own songs, before signing to Spinefarm Records.
Dead Poet Society’s music has a heavy indie rock and djent pop sound to it, found in their newly released album Monarch, including songs such as Die If You Don’t, Cold and Hollywood On Fire.
Muse will also be supported by Bitterpearl, a four-piece London indie/alternative band.
Stage times for Muse at Co-op Live
General admission doors: 18:30
Bitterpearl: 19:00
Dead Poet Society: 19:40
Muse: 21:00
These times are approximate and are subject to change.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
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Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
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The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
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Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Manchester United’s statement in full as Michael Carrick is sacked as manager
Emily Sergeant
Manchester United has now released a formal statement following the news that Michael Carrick has been sacked with immediate effect.
Carrick – who initially played for Manchester United as a midfielder between 2006 and 2018 – was first appointed as a caretaker manager in 2021, before he went on to become the interim manager and then men’s first team head coach earlier this year.
Unfortunately though, United have struggled to find form this season – with the team winning only three of their first 15 games across all competitions.
The club’s statement reads in full: “Manchester United can confirm that Michael Carrick has departed his role as men’s first-team head coach.
“Michael rejoined the club in January and guided the team to a third-placed Premier League finish by winning 12 out of the remaining 17 games of the 2025/26 season, accumulating the highest points tally in the league during that period.
“After a disappointing start to the season, the club has come to the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions.
“Michael is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend. Just as he did as a player, he has conducted himself with the highest standards of dedication and professionalism throughout his time back with the club. His leadership and achievements last season will always be fondly remembered.
“The club intends to appoint a permanent successor as quickly as possible.”
Featured Image – Sky Sports (via YouTube – screenshot)
Daisy Jackson -
9th November 2023 
