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.
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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.
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“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.
New Greater Manchester travel warnings issued as Christmas Markets get underway
Emily Sergeant
New travel warnings and advice have been issued across Greater Manchester as the city’s annual Christmas Markets get underway.
Manchester Christmas Markets officially kicked off for 2026 last Friday (6 November), and that means the city region is gearing up to welcome millions of extra visitors over the next couple of months – no matter whether they’re heading to the Markets, shopping for Christmas gifts, or enjoying a festive night out with friends and family.
Around 3.4 million additional visitors are expected in the city centre during just the Christmas Markets period alone.
It’s predicted that almost 40% of that extra footfall will be concentrated into just nine days – including Black Friday weekend at the end of this month, and the first two weekends of December.
With all these extra visitors expected, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has issued travel warnings and advice – encouraging people to choose their travel method, route, and time wisely when planning their journeys.
Millions of journeys are set to be made on the region’s tram and rail networks, whilst walking and cycling are also touted as a ‘great option’ for shorter journeys.
🎅 The Manchester Christmas Markets are back in full force ready for your festive cheer until 22 December.
🚌 Shudehill Interchange and Piccadilly Gardens bus station are both a short walk away from all market locations.
🎄More info: https://t.co/rP2ltFTnUJ https://t.co/hOjmaUHBdS
More buses than ever will also be running across the city region this festive season, as this year is the first Christmas with 24-hour night buses serving every borough.
More double trams will be running on some of the busiest parts of the Metrolink network, including on the Altrincham-Bury line, and on the Trafford Park line during the Christmas period, while additional/enhanced tram services laid on for major events such as football fixtures and others expected to generate higher passenger numbers
Elsewhere, as part of efforts to encourage people to leave the car and give public transport a try, overnight parking restrictions are being lifted on existing Park & Ride locations, and some new pop-up Park & Rides will be opening soon.
“The growing popularity of Manchester and the massive programme of events means it will definitely be busy,” warned Danny Vaughn, who is the Chief Network Officer at TfGM.
“That’s why we’re encouraging people to try public transport if they usually drive, and urging everyone to give extra thought to how and when the travel as they plan their journeys.”
Councillor Mandie Shilton Godwin, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council, added: “As always, public transport remains the best option if you’re looking to enjoy Christmas in Manchester and we’d urge people to use the bus, tram or train rather than using their own car.
“Our colleagues at TfGM are working incredibly hard to put on additional services and make it as cost-efficient as possible to use public transport.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
Manchester
Fall Out Boy announce huge Manchester gig on Twilight of the Punks Tour
Lydia Mastrolonardo
The Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum rock group, Fall Out Boy, have announced a stop over in Manchester as part of the biggest global tour of their career to date.
The Twilight of the Punks 2027 tour announcement follows the release of the bands newest song ‘ACES,’ marking the end to their long-awaited return to music production.
The band began subtly hinting at a tour earlier last month, sparking excitement among fans worldwide.
‘ACES,’ produced and mixed by Neil Avron, channels the nostalgic, unmistakable energy of the band’s early days, as a nod to the sound that solidified the band within the pop-punk scene all those years ago. It also marks a particularly special time for the band as they celebrate their 25th year together.
And now Fall Out Boy are celebrating the milestone with a 15-date live tour across Europe and the UK, including a night at Co-op Live in Manchester.
That’s all before completing the tour in North America next summer, including a landmark hometown stadium performance at Chicago’s legendary Soldier Field.
Fall out Boy will be joined by special guests A Day To Remember and Neck Deep on all European dates.
For those of you that aren’t familiar – A Day To Remember are an Floridian rock band specialising in metal-core and pop-punk music.
Neck Deep are a Welsh pop-punk band that will be bringing some of their hits such as ‘Wish You Were Here’ and ‘In Bloom,’ to the stage next summer.
Fall Out Boy will perform at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Thursday 3 June 2027.
Tickets will go on presale tomorrow from 12pm midday, before general sale begins on Thursday 12 November from 12pm HERE.
Fall Out Boy UK and Ireland tour dates in full
Sunday 30 May 2027 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
Tuesday 1 June 2027 – Dublin, 3Arena
Thursday 3 June 2027 – Manchester, Co-op Live
Saturday 5 June 2027 – London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Emily Sergeant -
14th May 2021 
