A state-of-the-art open gym, small group training, and a top reformer pilates studio, all under one roof – welcome to the new home of FORM.
This leading Manchester fitness facility has undergone a pretty major transformation this year, more than doubling in size.
Where the gym once stood, you’ll now find the newest – and most stylish – pilates space in the city centre, with 10 reformer beds for intentionally small classes.
This is where you’ll find the best pilates instructors in the city, who’ll coach you through classic pilates moves to build a stronger, more balanced version of yourself.
If you’ve done any classes at RESET by FORM over in the Bloc building in the city centre (or, indeed, at their sister studio in Leeds), you’ll already know these are the best classes in town.
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Then the main FORM gym space has moved upstairs, taking over a huge space in the Riverside building in Manchester.
The boutique fitness brand’s new flagship HQ is packed with free weights, cardio equipment, machines, and a zone specifically for their small group training sessions, all looking out over a leafy courtyard through floor-to-ceiling windows.
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Whether you’re a seasoned pro at strength training or are stepping into a gym for the first time, FORM wants the gym to be a supportive, judgement-free zone.
Reformer pilates at FORMReformer pilates at FORMReformer pilates at FORM
And this is one of those fitness spaces where the coaches get just as excited about your progress as you do, whether you’re nailing your first teaser on a reformer bed, or hitting a new squat PB.
Whichever type of fitness journey you’re on, you’ll find a coaching-led approach to help you build confidence and longevity in your wellbeing.
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Libby Smith, Co-founder at FORM Riverside, said: “We know people want more from their gym experience now.
“FORM Riverside brings together reformer, strength training and coaching in one place, giving people the flexibility to build a routine that works for them, all within one membership designed to offer real value.”
The small group training zone at FORMHuge windows in the main gymCardio equipmentThe gym at FORM in Manchester
Ben Wood, Co-founder at FORM Riverside, added: “We’re super passionate about making fitness as inclusive and sustainable as possible, with an emphasis on long-term progress rather than quick fixes.
“Our incredible team of coaches and instructors are always on hand to ensure members get the most out of their time with us, whatever their starting point or goals. We’re proud of the community we’ve built and look forward to welcoming both new and familiar faces into the space.”
To mark the launch, FORM is offering one month unlimited introductory offer for £99, giving access to as many reformer pilates, strength training and coaching sessions as members can squeeze into the month.
A fancy new pizzeria has opened in Manchester serving posh pizzas and seasonal sharing plates
Clementine Hall
If you’ve ever wanted a pizza with smoked eel on, then you’re in luck.
Introducing Proloco, the brand spanking new restaurant from chef Richard Carver, founder of Honest Crust Sourdough Pizza, and Dan Hope, co-founder of Manchester club Rainy Heart.
Located in One Port Street over in Ancoats, this isn’t your bog standard pizzeria – this is lavish.
Here you’ll find a weekly rotating selection of 18-inch pizzas and sharing plates all made with the very best local produce imaginable.
Forget your bog standard pepperoni slice, on the menu here you’ll find a porchetta pizza with shishito peppers and Cornish kern, a charred greens pizza with sugar snap peas and anchovies, and our personal favourite – a smoked eel pie with lemon basil and pine nuts.
There’s also a tomato butter pie, which features slithers of butter in place of your usual mozzarella.
And if you just can’t decide, you can have your pizza as a half-and-half of flavours.
Sharing plates include tomatoes with lardo, roasted beetroot and a crispy egg with mortadella and fennel.
A half-and-half pizzaBeautiful interiors of ProlocoThe butter pie pizzaSmall plates, wine, and £7 negroniProloco opens on Great Ancoats Street in AugustScoops of homemade gelatoProloco’s open kitchenThe eel pizza at Proloco
A real selling point, though, is the £7 negroni alongside a selection of honest wine and carefully chosen beer from local suppliers as well as an aperitivo list.
The interior is simple, but beautiful – a colour palette of butter yellow, blue, and huge burgundy speakers to match the chairs that invite you to sit at long banquet-worthy tables or in front of the many windows.
Richard will be calling on his longstanding relationships with producers across the North West (and beyond) for his ingredients, from flour grown and milled in the Lake District, vegetables from Cinderwood Market Garden and Organic North, artisanal charcuterie and cheeses from Somerset, and the best tomatoes and oil from Italy.
He said: “Proloco is about cooking food I genuinely love with the best people and produce around me.
“I want it to feel effortless – warm, a little bit fun, and always worth coming back to.”
Proloco will officially open its doors on Great Ancoats Street on Wednesday 26 August.
Team behind award-winning cocktail bar Stray to open second Manchester bar
Daisy Jackson
The team behind Manchester’s award-winning cocktail bar Stray have announced a second bar is on the way.
Bar Dos will be an all-new neighbourhood bar, promising to be the ‘tearaway younger sibling’ of Stray.
You can expect everything from pints of Stella to refined cocktails, plus DJs all weekend long.
Set to open very soon, with a September launch pencilled into our diaries already, Bar Dos will be joining a couple of other big names in a new building on Great Ancoats Street.
They’ll count Proloco and Osma as neighbours once all three ventures are up and running this year.
Stray first opened at Mackie Mayor back in 2023, and shot into the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars just over a year later.
Bar Dos will open in Manchester in SeptemberBar Dos is the second site for Stray
There, it occupies a beautiful corner unit with huge windows, and an outside terrace, perfect for sipping on their best-selling cocktails like their tomato vine margarita and their Fanta Limon (a boozy version of everyone’s favourite balcony tipple).
Now ready to launch a second site, the team will soon open Bar Dos, which will be a late-night, music-focused neighbourhood bar.
DJs already announced, along with renowned artists who have curated playlists, include Space Afrika, Chunky, Private Joy, Konnie Kon of Children of Zeus, and Stray residents Rhod Parry and Stu Richards.
Bar Dos will open on Great Ancoats Street this September.
Daisy Jackson -
25th May 2026 
