A new foodhall and community space is opening up in the heart of Sale town centre next week, and it’s just in time for Christmas.
Store Retail Group – the team behind the popular General Stores and foodhall concepts across the region – has announced that the Trafford suburb of Sale is the next place to welcome a brand-new foodhall to its town centre, and it’s opening next week ready for the busy festive season.
Sale Foodhall in Stanley Square will open to the public on Thursday 18 November, with an exciting line-up of food traders, community space, and new retail offering.
If you’re unfamiliar with the foodhall concept, it has already proved hugely-popular in Stretford and is now being rolled out in neighbouring Greater Manchester suburb with a large and colourful unit that has plenty of space for rotating indie food vendors, plus the much-loved artisan pizza experts Basillico, and proper tasty burger-slingers at What’s Your Beef set to join the lineup as permanent residents.
The first temporary trader to join the foodhall family at the new venue will be Eat Dutch, which is set to bring its authentic mini Dutch pancakes to Sale throughout November and December.
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Sale Foodhall in Stanley Square will open to the public on Thursday 18 November / Credit: LekkerEatDutch | Basillico Pizza
The new Sale Foodhall boasts a 150-cover dining and drinking space, plus an outdoor terrace, and it has replaced the ‘Groceries and Beer’ unit, which has been operated by the Store Group for the last two years, but has now relocated around the corner to the Stanley Square Shopping Mall in a huge 5,500 sq ft food, drink, and retail destination.
The new unit will also have a bar serving local craft beers, wine and spirits, a coffee shop with bakery unit, plus General Store’s trademark ‘cornershop’ retail space.
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The flexible spaces will provide a variety of uses for the local community, from pop-up retail spaces, to informal classes.
“We’re looking forward to becoming an even bigger part of the community here in Sale [as] it’s been a brilliant home to us over the last two years, and we can’t wait to open the doors to a much bigger space,” explains Mital Morar – Founder of Store Retail Group.
“This is a chance for us to evolve into that proper community hub that we always strive to create – from baby groups to beer tastings, everyone is welcome.
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“Our local neighbourhood is everything, and at the centre of will always be quality independent food and drink as well as convenience.”
Sale Foodhall is a large and colourful unit that has plenty of space for rotating indie food vendors / Credit: Store Retail Group
The grocery store within the new venue will offer the same great innovative neighbourhood retail concept that Store Retail Group has become known for, and as well as championing local makers from food and drink, to homeware, the shop will be a destination for artisan alcohol, local fresh baked goods, and zero-waste household essential refill stations too.
Sale Foodhall follows the launch of the Store Group’s two new General Store launches at Deansgate Square and in MediaCityUK earlier this year.
On top of that, there are also plans in the pipeline for another new General Store at Manchester’s new garden neighbourhood KAMPUS in the city centre, plus a new Foodhall in Northwich has already been announced, with more exciting plans to come.
Featured Image – Store Retail Group
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Huge tunnel through the Peak District linking Manchester and Sheffield moves one step closer
Daisy Jackson
Ambitions plans to build a tunnel beneath the Peak District to connect Manchester and Sheffield has moved a step closer.
The proposed tunnel, which could completely transform travel between the two cities, has received a major £500,000 funding boost.
Picture the Eurostar, but plonk it going across the Pennines instead of London to Paris.
If it all goes ahead, journeys between South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester would be much quicker and easier, cutting times by up to 30 minutes, The Sheff reports.
The whopping £500,000 funding has been secured by infrastructure group Future Works, which is behind the proposed Trans-Pennine Connect scheme.
The money will be used to carry out technical and environmental feasibility studies to establish whether the project could actually go ahead.
The plans would see a 14-mile dual-carriageway tunnel built underneath the Peak District, potentially running between Langsett in South Yorkshire and Hollingworth or Tintwistle in Greater Manchester.
Michael Dnes, Future Works co-founder, said: “We’re very excited to be working with UK Dynamism Fund to unlock the next stage of our project.
“This funding will let us complete the technical and environmental feasibility studies needed to get the right outcomes for people and the Peak District as we deliver better transport connections across the Pennines.”
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has previously voiced his support for the proposals, describing them as a “really exciting opportunity”.
Speaking at a South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority meeting back in September, he said: “We all know the frustrations of travelling between two of the North’s biggest and best cities.”
He also stressed that any plans would need to take environmental considerations very seriously, particularly the impact on wildlife in the Peak District.
The project is still in very early stages, and the funding doesn’t indicate that planning has been approved. We’ll keep you updated with any updates as and when we know.
So, what do you make of this proposal? Would you be keen for a drive through the tunnel?
Town just outside Greater Manchester named one of UK’s ‘happiest’ places to live
Emily Sergeant
The UK’s happiest places to live for 2026 have been named, and a town just outside Greater Manchester is in the top 10.
Just as it has done for the last 14 years now, Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index, which explores exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlights the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year.
This year, thousands of residents across more than 200 locations told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community – from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlines the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, where do we have in the top 10 then?
Well, Skipton in North Yorkshire – last year’s winner – only ranked seventh in this year’s study, making way for Richmond upon Thames in London to take the coveted stop spot, but looking a little further down the list, you’ll find the Lancashire town of Chorley in sixth place.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
The UK’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Richmond upon Thames
Harrogate
Cirencester
Monmouth
Hove
Chorley
Skipton
Llandrindod Wells
Horsham
Hexham
With a deep legacy rooted in the Industrial Revolution, Chorley is now a popular place to live full of amenities, good local schooling options, and convenient transport links – with an average property price of £234,387, and average rent costing £1,011 per month.
When it comes to the wider rankings, and the North West ranking as a whole, two Greater Manchester towns made it into the region’s top five, Stockport at number two and Altrincham following right behind at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Georgina Pellant -
11th November 2021 
