A brand new independent corner shop will soon be opening doors at KAMPUS – the city’s newest £250 million “garden neighbourhood”.
Store Retail Group – the company behind the General Stores and Foodhall concepts, with an already large and loyal fan base of its innovative take on the neighbourhood shop at stores in Ancoats, Salford, Stretford, Sale and MediaCityUK – has chosen KAMPUS, which is currently being developed by CAPITAL&CENTRIC and HBD, as the location for its newest venture.
KAMPUS is rapidly becoming a hub for some of Manchester’s coolest indie operators, and now the new General Store site is due to join in the autumn.
The announcement of General Stores’ arrival at KAMPUS comes after it was first announced that Northern Quarter stalwarts Common & Co will be opening a local pub and pizzeria in the summer at the new neighbourhood, as well as florist x bakery collaboration Bread Flower operating a pop-up at the bungalow every weekend.
Blossom Coffee Roasters and Manchester Smokehouse are among the other independents to have joined, with more due to be announced soon.
With a “village market feel”, the KAMPUS General Store will have independent, artisan food and drink sitting alongside daily essentials and well-known brands. A regular series of local collaborators will showcase new and exciting produce with a focus on local specialists – from butchers and greengrocers, to gin makers and wine merchants – and visiting local producers will have the opportunity to use the store’s mezzanine space for tastings and workshops as part of their residency, creating an outstanding local shopping experience.
As well as bringing the best local ingredients to the table, KAMPUS General Store will also stock the most sought-after independent food brands, including Middle Eastern specialists The Ottö-Men, sustainable meat from MeatCo Manchester, and the award-winning Great North Pie Co.
ADVERTISEMENT
KAMPUS General Store will also bring a zero-waste, household essential refill hub to the neighbourhood, which means customers can ditch the single use plastic and fill up their own containers with cereals, washing up liquid, lentils, sugar and pasta.
It’s being billed as a genius way to save both waste and money.
KAMPUS
Speaking on the announcement of General Stores’ arrival at KAMPUS, Adam Higgins from CAPITAL&CENTRIC said: “Kampus is fast becoming a neighbourhood in its own right and true to our word we’re sticking with independents.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We turned down plenty of chain supermarkets as that bland identikit approach isn’t right for Kampus and definitely not what our residents want. They’re after something more unique and interesting so, like the wider Kampus community, there’ll be plenty of collabs and pop ups, giving local traders a chance to showcase their produce and residents a chance to try something new”.
“Kampus is something pretty different in the city.” said Store Retail Group’s, Mital Morar.
“It’s a neighbourhood with a strong sense of community and a very independent feel, which is exactly what we’re about. Kampus General Store will be right at the heart of the neighbourhood, where the convenience of a corner shop meets local artisan food and drink.
“We love putting down roots in new neighbourhoods and being part of the journey as they grow, which is exactly what we’re looking forward to doing at Kampus”.
Store Retail Group
The buzz surrounding KAMPUS has increased in recent weeks, with the first images of the waterside development being released back in March, and one and two bedroom apartments now available to view in North Block, which is the first of five individual buildings to complete alongside its sister South Block – two beautiful Victorian shipping warehouses and a 1960s brutalist tower.
Cult favourite food spot Desert Island Dumplings is set to close their Manchester shop
Danny Jones
A much-loved Manc spot is bidding a reluctant farewell, and to be honest, we’re not ready to say goodbye to Desert Island Dumplings either, as it’s been announced that they’ll soon be closing.
What started as a lockdown idea has gone on to become a cult favourite of the city centre and among vegans in the area, with countless foodies heading to their quiet little third-floor corner.
Delivering the gutting news at the start of this week on social media, founder Lucy Linford had to assure fans that this sadly isn’t an April Fool’s before going on to share a lengthy and stirring statement.
Taking up ten whole slides and numerous paragraphs in what is one of the most emotional Instagram posts the local hospitality industry has seen so far this year, she confirmed that Desert Island Dumplings will be closing in the coming months.
She began by stating, “This news might come as a shock to you”, adding that “we’ve rolled with the punches these past couple years of years and the shop is busier than ever”, but insisted that closing this particular chapter “is the right decision”.
The little dumpling shop that could hasn’t just been one of the most popular vendors inside Afflecks, an iconic Manchester attraction all of its own – it’s also gone through so many steps to get to where it is now, and it’s a local independent story that you can’t help but admire.
From the days of serving as a little pop-up at cricket grounds and various other street food stalls to establishing a dark kitchen in Liverpool, enjoying stints at GRUB, Sadler’s Cat, Ancoats General, Stretford Food Hall and more before settling down in the Palace’s emporium, it’s been a joy to watch.
Before explaining the reasons behind shutting up shop, Lucy wrote: “Thank you to every single person who has supported to Desert Island Dumplings over the past five years.”
We were left particularly moved and inspired by the recollections of the period shortly after she went “full-time-dumplings”, spending her hours learning about business, “trying to concentrate through webinars, scribbling words like ‘dividends’ and ‘GDPR?’ into notebooks.”
This part of the real hard work that you hardly ever get to see but that so many of those who start out with a dream to make it in the sector have to struggle through, and we couldn’t have more admiration for her graft if we tried – and look what it led to.
It’s also worth reminding the waves this place as made in terms of plant-based dining not just in Manchester but the North West and beyond, standing proudly as ‘the UK’s first vegan fusion dumpling joint’ and not sacrificing on flavour one single bit.
The brand even went on to pitch to Aldi, and you’ll be glad to hear that this isn’t curtains completely: Lucy and co. will still be serving right up until the last day, and as she prepares to take on a Masters up in Edinburgh, the dumps, noods, hash browns plus all the rest of will be a big hit in Scotland, no doubt.
As for the final chapter here in Manchester, the team will be bringing back some beloved specials and fan favourites, not to mention “putting on a few fun farewell events” ahead of their final day on 15 June.
Put simply, Lucy says she’s “loved every second of it”, and so have we. She signed off by adding, “Nothing good lasts forever but memories do.” We urge you to read the post in full, it’s really touching.
Make sure to give them a visit whilst you still can, and thanks again to Desert Island Dumplings for filling our bellies so many times. We hope to stumble across you in Scotland one day.
Hotly-anticipated new Lina Stores confirms Manchester opening date – and 50% off food
Daisy Jackson
Lina Stores has confirmed the opening date for its hotly-anticipated Manchester restaurant, and is slashing food bills in half while they get going.
The brand-new restaurant, delicatessen and Italian cocktail bar will be opening on Quay Street in just a few weeks, with a soft launch period offering 50% off food bills.
This will be the first time the beloved, decades-old London brand has headed outside of the capital, bringing fresh handmade pasta, deli-inspired antipasti, and indulgent desserts up north.
Lina Stores has now confirmed that it will be opening here in Manchester on Thursday 17 April 2026.
Blending coffee shop, delicatessen, restaurant, and bar, the new space will be styled in traditional Lina Stores shades of pastel green hues, warm timber woods, and terrazzo and timber flooring.
You’ll find bespoke marble tables, original vintage Bentwood chairs, dark green booth seating and opaline globe lighting inspired by the original Brewer Street delicatessen.
Lina Stores – Italian deli restaurant serving homemade pasta and more is heading to Manchester. Credit: Rebecca Hope
The amenu will feature everything from Italian-inspired breakfasts like truffle scrambled eggs, to pasta dishes like 30-egg yolk taglioni, to salads, freshly-made panini, and delicate cakes and pastries in the open-plan delicatessen.
The 150-cover, open-kitchen restaurant will be open seven days a week, with a coffee and cocktail bar specialising in aperitivo, Bar Lina, beside it.
To celebrate its opening in Manchester, Lina Stores is offering a limited number of 50% off food bookings, available during its soft launch from 11 to 16 April. To be in with a chance of securing a soft launch booking, you can sign up HERE.
Lina Stores Manchester officially opens on Thursday 17th April.
Emily Sergeant -
14th May 2021 
