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.
Manchester steakhouse Gaucho is serving a bottomless brunch with non-stop wine and cocktails
Georgina Pellant
Manchester has a new three-course bottomless brunch offer, and it sounds like an absolute beast of a deal – with premium cuts of steak, unlimited starters, and an hour and a half of free-flowing drinks.
Launched by Argentine steakhouse pros Gaucho,the new bottomless deal gives diners 90 minutes to indulge in drinks like citrus negronis, pornstar martinis, spritzes, lager and wine, with a choice of red, white and rose.
Spanning three courses and 90 minutes of drinks, starter dishes are unlimited whilst main highlights include Gaucho’s cuts of free-range Aberdeen Angus beef, reared on the flat grasslands of the Pampas. Think premium wet-aged sirloin with chimichurri and French fries and spiral-cute churrasco de cuadril marinated in garlic, parsley and olive oil.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
On the unlimited starters menu, you’ll find a mouthwatering selection of morcilla, chorizo and picante rojo sausage with a lemon aioli, a selection of empanadas, beetroot ceviche with nasturtium and mango nectar, plus prawn tostadas on Arepa bread.
Add in desserts like chocolate brownies with white chocolate ice cream and apple pancakes with Calvados caramel, Nutella and a dulce de leche mousse, and we’ll be surprised if you find yourself going home hungry.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Available on the last Saturday of the month between 11am and 4pm at Gaucho’s glitzy restaurant on Deansgate, dine inside a converted church surrounded by crystal chandeliers and deep leather booths whilst the restaurant’s in house saxophonist plays along to the resident DJ’s beats.
Heritage railway arches in Manchester city centre to undergo £3.7m transformation by HOME arts centre
Danny Jones
A section of the iconic railway arches along Whitworth Street is set to be refurbished into a brand-new development space for up-and-coming local artistsunder HOME.
Having existed as a recognisable part of the city’s rich transport and architectural heritage for as long as we can remember, three of the familiar archways situated on Whitworth Street West are now about to be given a new lease of life which will also help support Manchester’s beloved arts community.
Coming under the HOME theatre and arts umbrella with the work being carried out by the North West arm of Robertson Construction, the transformation is set to start fairly soon and is scheduled to be completed by May 2024.
Sitting between Whitworth Street West and HOME’s main arts building at Tony Wilson Place, which has been a popular cinema, gallery and restaurant since 2015, the new development centre will provide a space and vital resources for artists of all ages, disciplines and stages in their careers. Wonderful stuff.
Costing £3.7m, the goal of the ‘HOME Arches’ project is not only to give the Whitworth Street West Arches some much-needed TLC, but to help nurture, attract and retain creative talent in Manchester by providing them with a high-quality, low-cost rehearsal and training space.
Moreover, being connected to the ever-thriving First Street district will further strengthen it as a well-known and go-to city centre destination for artists and visitors alike.
Funding for the renovation was secured back in 2021 following a £2.3m government grant, with a further £0.9m contribution from Manchester City Council and around £0.5m from HOME themselves, who are helping cover some post-construction costs.
The Arches project is part of a wider £20m redevelopment plan under the national Levelling Up fund, with the bulk of the £17.5m scheme seeing the Upper Campfield and Lower Campfield Market buildings (both Grade II-listed structures) lovingly transformed into a new tech, media and creative industries hub.
Issuing a statement following the announcement, Director and CEO of HOME, Dave Moutrey said they are delighted to provide “meaningful, additional creative space for artists” and allow them to “grow the work that we do with artists in the North West, across theatre, film, visual art and digital works”.
As for the Council itself, leader Bev Craig said: “These arches are part of our heritage which have sat unloved and underused for many years. This scheme is bringing them back to life with a very modern purpose – complementing the thriving cultural economy in our city.
“Culture has a huge role to play in the success of our city and its people – creatively, for health and well-being and economically. This project will enhance this part of the city centre, create new jobs and further strengthen Manchester’s cultural ecosystem.”
We can’t wait to see how the new historic railway arches look under the loving stewardship of HOME and see the impact it makes on local creativity and culture.
Emily Sergeant -
14th May 2021 
