Famous bakery Gail’s has confirmed that it will be expanding into the north of England for the first time, as owners reveal plans to open not one, not two but three new cafes in and around Manchester.
Already well known and loved by its customers in the south of England, now the team is eyeing up new sites for its neighbourhood craft bakeries right on our doorstep.
Having confirmed that the first northern location for Gail’s will open in Wilmslow this February, it has also been revealed that the bakery has its eye on two Greater Manchester locations: with a city centre bakery planned for the former White Stuff unit on King Street, and a third set to open on Shaw’s Road in Altrincham.
Whilst no official date has been set for the King Street and Altrincham openings, The Manc understands that these are both expected to open in the early part of 2023 – so we shouldn’t have too long to wait.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
The bakery group already has strong ties with Manchester, having run its sister wholesale bakery The Bread Factory – which supplies bread to some of Manchester’s premium restaurants, cafes and bars – in Openshaw since 2017.
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Now, it’s looking to add a customer-facing presence by bringing its popular coffee shop-style bakery-cafes to Greater Manchester for the very first time.
Here, Mancs will be able to get their hands on all manner of treats: from its range of sourdough breads (including a ‘wasteless’ loaf made with breadcrumb leftovers), to cakes, pastries, sandwiches and more.
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Gail’s CEO Tom Molnar told The Manc: “What an amazing city Manchester is, I mean it’s so creative – I’d love London to be as creative as Manchester is.
“We’re really excited about opening up in Manchester, we’ve been there for about six years now, is that right, um, when we bought this little tiny bakery that an older couple had.
“They’d had it for like 35 years, they were ready to retire, and we were like ‘oh that’s a great opportunity for us to go in’.
“We were trying to continue what they were doing a little bit but the whole idea was to um, to bring like, they were like an old school bakery, […] and they were ready to retire but it was a great space for us and since then we’ve added a bunch of units there and we’re serving chefs, because that’s what we know, that’s the core of the business, is to be serving top chefs.”
First formed in the early 1990s as a wholesale-only operation, Gail’s opened its first cafe on Hampstead High Street in 2005.
Today the brand has over 70 sites spread across London, Oxford, Brighton and further afield, and is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery whilst The Bread Factory continues the company’s original wholesale legacy.
All its goodies are baked fresh throughout the day, with any unsold items donated to local charities each evening to help local people in need. When Gail’s opens in the north later this year, it will partner with Fare Share and Eat Well Manchester to give back to its new neighbours wherever possible.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
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‘Ambitious’ new plans to tackle fly-tipping and litter across Manchester revealed
Emily Sergeant
An ambitious new plan to tackle flytipping and litter across Manchester has been revealed.
Developed with extensive input from residents, partners, businesses, and schools all across the borough, Manchester City Council has this week unveiled and formally approved the Fly-Tipping and Litter Strategy as a long‑term plan to significantly reduce the improper disposal of waste and its drain on public money, all while improving neighbourhood cleanliness across the city.
The strategy sets out a framework over nine years, backed by targeted enforcement, service improvements, and behaviour‑change campaigns to drive significant impact for thousands of Mancs.
As it stands, the Council removes litter as part of its scheduled services – with 6,563 reports responded to and 11,952 fines issued in 2024-25 – but is having to take things up a notch due to a consistent rise in littering incidents, as well as the ever-present issue of fly-tipping.
‘Ambitious’ new plans to tackle fly-tipping and litter across Manchester have been revealed / Credit: oatsy40 (via Flickr)
Nationally, England saw 1.15 million incidents of flytipping in 2023/24, with household waste accounting for more than 60% of cases, while here in Manchester, the city recorded a whopping 14,963 fly‑tipping incidents in 2024/25.
According to the Council, fly-tipping in Manchester usually occurs on roads and pavements (59%), and alleyways (22%).
The Council’s new Fly-tipping and Litter Strategy will be formally launched next month to coincide with the beginning of the Great British Spring Clean, and is hoped to signal a commitment to creating ‘cleaner, safer, and greener’ neighbourhoods for everyone.
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“The Fly-Tipping and Litter Strategy is a significant step towards improving the long-term health of Manchester’s communities,” explained Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, who is the Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council, as the plans were unveiled this week.
“We recognised how important it is to hear from residents, people who live and work in the city, themselves and so we have developed this strategy in close consultation through their lived experiences and advice.
“While we already have key initiatives we work under, in addition to several other strategies and projects, this new strategy sets to galvanise and advance the work our services and communities are doing to ensure Manchester becomes cleaner and greener for everyone.”
Featured Image – MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
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Mancs start crowdfunder for Mani mural in honour of late, great, local music legend
Danny Jones
A group of Manchester artists, audiophiles and residents have started a fundraiser to create a new mural in memory of the late, great local music legend, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield.
Following The Stone Roses and Primal Scream bass player’s passing last year, the city and Greater Manchester as a whole have been finding ways to honour the Manc musician ever since.
Be it lining his funeral cortege from his home in Heaton Moor, Stockport, or peers like The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess penning heartfelt tributes, anyone and everyone has found their own way of paying their respects in the months since.
Taking the sustained sentiment even further, local art collective GRIT Studios is now planning to erect a massive mural in his memory.
We’re doing a massive mural for Manchester’s most loved son – Mani. All profits to @maggiesmanc a charity that was close to his heart.
Writing on the fundraising page’s description, GRIT say: “Inspired by Ian Brown’s eulogy to Mani at Manchester Cathedral, a major community crowdfunder is being launched to create a large-scale mural honouring the beloved bassist of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream and to raise funds for Maggie’s Manchester.
“The mural, which will be created in Failsworth, where young Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield grew up, has been initiated by the team at GRIT Studios following an overwhelming outpouring of love from fans across Greater Manchester and beyond.
“Mani’s brother, Greg Mounfield, is supporting this campaign and has facilitated a prominent, large wall space for the mural and chosen the design.
They go on to to explan that the piece “will be painted by the renowned artist Pic.One.Art, whose recent portrait of Noel and Liam Gallagher outside the iconic Sifters Records in Burnage became an instant landmark and received widespread attention.”
Speaking of Brown’s now viral speech, it still remains one of the most touching bits of public observance and shared mourning this city has ever seen – with a healthy little dose of Northern levity, of course.
@the.manc Yesterday, Manchester laid one of the city's greatest music legends, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, to rest at Manchester Cathedral. 🍋 Fellow band member and life-long friend Ian Brown read out a speech as hundreds gathered outside the cathedral to pay their respects to The Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist. Mani will be missed by many, and we send love to all his family and friends. ❤️ #manchester#mani#ianbrown#thestoneroses#stoneroses♬ original sound – The Manc
“Since Mani passed away in November, countless fans have expressed a desire to see a tribute in the place that shaped him in North Manchester”, they continue.
“GRIT Studios, the not-for-profit art studios organisation, has stepped forward to organise a community-led, crowdfunded project that celebrates Mani’s life, music and spirit.
“It will not only fund the creation of the mural, but all profits will go to Maggie’s Manchester, which was close to Mani and his wife Imelda’s hearts during her cancer treatment and for whom they fundraised.
With a target of £10,000 set and more than £6k already raised in just a matter of days, it looks to be a matter of when, not if, we’ll see Mani immortalised in paint, on brick and with typical Manc grit over in the borough of Oldham.
For anyone who wishes to contribute to the fast-growing Mani mural crowdfunder, you can do so HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
19th January 2023 
