Bargain warehouse Rogers Wholesale Foods launches new store in Greater Manchester
Rogers Wholesale Foods - an organisation renowned for providing products at a fraction of their normal price - is cutting the ribbon to its new premises on Saturday (January 30).
The UK’s biggest ‘gone past Best Before’ supplier is opening a brand new warehouse in Greater Manchester.
Rogers Wholesale Foods – an organisation renowned for providing products at a fraction of their normal price – is cutting the ribbon to its new premises on Saturday (January 30).
The warehouse – on the Bredbury Park Industrial Estate in Stockport – will be the fifth of its kind, with Rogers venues already operating across the country in Poole, Plymouth, Southampton and Bilston.
Specialising in the sale of items which have gone beyond their Best Before dates, Rogers’ unique model means it offers some of the lowest prices available whilst preventing enormous amounts of food waste going to landfill.
The opening of the warehouses are typically huge events, and whilst the celebrations this weekend are being kept to a minimum on this occasion due to COVID regulations, the people of Greater Manchester will still be able to roam the huge, airy aisles in a socially-distanced manner to grab themselves some unbelievable bargains.
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Managing Director Mark King stated that Rogers was excited to “bring something positive to the people of Manchester” – with food waste being such a pertinent issue during the pandemic.
Difficult economic conditions have meant more families are struggling than usual – and Rogers is hoping to make a difference by offering more affordable items.
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Whilst foods which have gone past ‘Use By” expiry should never be sold, ‘Best Before’ dates are a different breed.
In theory, items with an expired ‘Best Before’ date might have lost some of their texture, taste or colour by that particular time. But according to Rogers, this virtually never happens’ due to the ‘superb’ food packaging of modern times.
The company has also been mentioned by MoneySavingExpert’s Martin Lewis – who has endorsed the business and said that shopping at Rogers was “well worth it”.
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Founded in Wimborne Dorset in 2015, Mark said Rogers recognises a “growing need for the public to be offered a different way to do their food shopping and save money in doing so.”
Mark added: “We continually promise to offer our customers those well known brands we all love at hugely cheap prices, whilst of course still being perfectly safe to eat!”
Rogers’ new Manchester social media page has already racked up nearly 5,5000 ‘likes’ since appearing online.
Already, it’s looking like an enormously popular addition to the neighbourhood.
But that’s no real surprise. Us Mancs do love a bargain, after all…
Co-op Live boss resigns just days before venue’s official opening
Daisy Jackson
The boss of Co-op Live, Manchester’s enormous, ground-breaking new arena, has resigned from his position just days before the venue is set to open.
The enormous music-first arena has been taking shape beside the Etihad Stadium for several years, and was due to welcome its first official audiences this week, but has been hit with last-minute challenges.
And now Co-op Live‘s boss Gary Roden has quit the mammoth project, with the news of his resignation announced late Thursday evening.
Oak View Group, which Co-op Live is part of, said in a statement that they would like to ‘thank Gary for his help bringing the UK’s newest arena to live entertainment fans’.
Stepping into his shoes as interim general manager will be Rebecca Kane Burton, who previously ran the U.K.’s highest-grossing venue, London’s The O2 arena.
Gary has previously come under fire for saying that some grassroots music venues ‘poorly run’ – a statement that OVG has now distanced itself from.
A separate statement said that ‘neither Co-op Live nor Oak View Group share the sentiment expressed by former Co-op Live General Manager Gary Roden regarding the grassroots industry’.
It continued: “As OVG Chairman and CEO Tim Leiweke has repeatedly stated, Co-op Live remains committed to grassroots music in Manchester and beyond, including teaming up with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on the Artist of the Month campaign, and as a founding partner of Beyond The Music.
“Co-op Live also donates over £1m a year to the Co-op Foundation to support communities and empower young people to take social action through its new Young Gamechangers fund.
“Oak View Group and Co-op Live remain happy to meet with grassroots organisations once the venue is fully operational.”
Co-op Live boss Gary Roden speaking at the launch of Co-op Live just days before he resigned. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Co-op Live in Manchester
The news of the venue’s boss stepping down comes at a time when all eyes are on Co-op Live, the opening of which has been delayed.
The venue did host a test event with Rick Astley last weekend, but even that faced difficulties, with thousands of tickets cancelled to reduce capacity just hours before showtime.
It’s now set to officially open this Saturday 27 April with a performance by rock group The Black Keys.
The full statement from OVG about Gary’s resignation said: “Gary Roden has decided to resign. We’d like to thank Gary for his help bringing the UK’s newest arena to live entertainment fans and wish him the best for the future.
“Rebecca Kane Burton has been named Interim GM, effective today. Rebecca is a seasoned veteran of venue management and live entertainment in the UK having served as VP/GM of The O2 from 2012-2016 and CEO of LW Theatres from 2016-2021.
Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style
Emily Sergeant
A warning has been issued to tailgaters and motorway middle lane hoggers urging them to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style.
Do you find yourself guilty of two of the biggest driving sins from time to time?
Well, according to the latest figures released by National Highways, one in three motorists have admitted to middle lane hogging in their lives, while one in four have committed acts of tailgating on some of the UK’s fastest roads.
These shocking survey findings – which were released back in early March as the Government-owned road management company launched a new campaign – showed that lane hogging was among the behaviours that are most likely to cause motorists and passengers to feel ‘frustrated’, and tailgating was most likely to cause feelings of unease, stress, and anxiety.
Nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging ‘at least occasionally’ while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to the survey – which polled 2,500 adults between the ages of 16-75.
On top of this, almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following or tailgating is a ‘serious problem’ on these types of roads, but nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to doing it from time to time.
Tut-tut.
Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers have been warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style (Credit: IPTC/Ronald Hudson)
It’s these very statistics which have led National Highways to issue an urgent warning that calls on these motorists to “carefully consider” their driving habits, as “little changes can change everything”.
Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of ‘careless driving’ in England, with the country’s police forces having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points to those who commit such offences.
“Middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers,” warned RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, adding that these actions “put everyone on the roads at risk.”
If you’re too close to the vehicle in front, you’re tailgating. This is very dangerous and could lead to a collision. Always leave at least a two-second gap and make sure you follow the advice from The Highway Code.
He continued in his reaction to the release of the latest National Highways figures: “Closely following another motorist could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason, so the fact nearly one in four drivers admitted to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening”.
Mr Dennis said he understands that offenders “might find these habits hard to kick”, but that’s why the urgent calls for motorists to make changes are “so important”.
“By understanding that how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads,” he concluded.
The Manc -
28th January 2021 
