Celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo was in Alderley Edge on Monday night opening his new Italian restaurant, Luciano. Whilst he was there, he revealed that he’s got eyes on a site in Manchester next – and that work has already begun.
The Italian TV chef told the Manchester Evening Newsthat, following an unsanctioned rebrand of his Gino’s My Restaurantsites, he is now moving forward with his own plans to open a massive new Manchester branch of Luciano, which is named after his eldest son.
Whilst he wouldn’t reveal the location of the new restaurant, he did hint that it would be a sizeable upgrade on the Corn Exchange site, which is currently being rebranded as Riva Blu alongside four other Gino’s sites.
He also told the newspaper that the rebrand had been ‘against his wishes’.
He said: “My dad used to say to me for every action there is a reaction. Those five restaurants, they were rebranded without my consent and this is my reaction, I open new ones.
“When one goes, I say let’s do something bigger and better.”
By Gino’s own account, the new Manchester eatery will be ‘huge’, set across three floors with a sky lounge and terrace.
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Gino’s description of his new Luciano site seems to match that of the now-vacant Restaurant Bar & Grill on John Dalton Street, which was owned by Individual Restaurants – the company also behind Gino’s My Restaurant brand.
Hinting that it should be open in time for the summer, he told the MEN “They are busy chiselling away on it as we speak”.
He also said that he had eyes on further sites for Luciano in Birmingham, Sheffield and Leeds, having already opened a Luciano site in London’s West End last year at 5 star hotel ME.
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The chef’s new restaurant project promises to bring premium Italian ingredients to diners as part of its fine dining menu.
At the Cheshire restaurant, which launched this week in the former Piccolini site, diners can enjoy Napoli pizza and an attractive selection of pasta, risotto and gnocchi.
The menu also boasts large meat and seafood selections, featuring the likes of grilled langoustines, Sicilian tuna, numerous steak cuts, truffled chicken and rack of lamb, alongside a list of contorni sides as is traditional in Italy.
The former Gino’s restaurant in the Corn Exchange, meanwhile, will close on 27 January to become a new Italian restaurant with no connection to the chef.
Featured image: Supplied
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PinkPantheress named the youngest ever recipient of the BRIT Awards 2026 Producer of the Year Award
Clementine Hall
The BRIT Awards 2026 has announced that multi-platinum recording artist, songwriter and producer PinkPantheress is the recipient of this year’s Producer of the Year Award.
The award is decided by a group of expert judges from the music production sector, and has previously been presented to an incredibly selection of British producers including Paul Epworth, Calvin Harris, Fred again.., and last year’s winner, A. G. Cook.
At just 24 years old, PinkPantheress will be the youngest ever recipient of this coveted award, which recognises the excellence of her work in music production.
She is also the first woman to be presented with the honour.
As well as taking home Producer of the Year, PinkPantheress is also nominated for two further awards, for Artist of the Year and Dance Act.
The BRIT Awards are coming to Manchester for the first time in its history in 2026 / Credit: ITV / BRITs / Co-op Live
PinkPantheress spoke about winning the award: “As the first woman to win this award, I’m grateful to be recognised. My music production is the thing I’m proudest of, and I’ve worked really hard at it, so I hope this inspires others to pursue their passion.”
Stacey Tang, Chair of the 2026 BRIT Awards Committee and Co-President of RCA Records at Sony Music UK said: “PinkPantheress is both an inventive and instinctive voice in British pop right now. As a producer, she’s precise and playful, building bold, boundary expanding sounds that travel beyond the UK.
“She’s quietly reshaping what modern pop can be, and in doing so, opening the door for a new wave of female producers to step forward. Celebrating her at the BRITs is both timely and significant.”
The BRIT Awards 2026 with Mastercard will take place on Saturday 28 February from Manchester’s Co-op Live, and audiences at home can watch on ITV live or stream later on ITVX.
Comedian and actor Jack Whitehall will return to presenting duties in 2026 – his sixth time hosting the show.
This year’s incredible line-up of artists include Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, the singing voices of HUNTR/X, Wolf Alice, Mark Ronson, ROSALÍA, Alex Warren and SOMBR.
Acclaimed Manchester cocktail bar named one of UK’s best quietly closes its doors
Emily Sergeant
An acclaimed Manchester cocktail bar that was formerly named one of the best in the UK has quietly closed its doors for good.
Tucked away beneath the former set of Coronation Street in the Old Granada Studios complex, and hidden in the basement of Manchester‘s historic 1800s Bonded Warehouse at St. John’s, Project Halcyon Distillery officially opened its doors in 2022 due to COVID-19 pandemic delays – with the intimate venue going on to become a city favourite.
The acclaimed, Speakeasy-style bar drew inspiration from Prohibition-era Chicago, focusing on ‘halcyon days’ of calm and luxury.
It included an on-site distillery used to create bespoke ingredients for its seasonal menu, and beyond cocktails, even featured a so-called ‘Stillroom’ for masterclasses and had private, curtained room dedicated to absinthe, with traditional fountains, called ‘Salon Vert’.
Project Halcyon has quietly closed its doors for good / Credit: Project Halcyon | The Manc Group
But despite its success over the years, and even earning a place in the coveted Top 50 Cocktail Bars in the UK list on several occasions, Project Halcyon has officially – but somewhat quietly – now closed its doors for good.
“It was with sincere regret that due to unexpected challenges at the ownership level we must close our doors for the foreseeable. Though we say goodbye, the memories live on.
“Thank you to everyone who shared in our craft, our community, and our story.”
After the news broke on social media, Project Halcyon’s Instagram post was flooded with dozens of comments showing support for staff members, and remembering the venue as one of their favourite cocktail bars in the city centre.
The nature of some of the comments also prompted Project Halcyon to issue a follow-up statement below addressing concerns over money owed to workers and other partners, adding: “We sincerely hope that anyone who may be owed by the owners of Project Halcyon – past and present team included – receives what they are owed.
“We are not deleting comments and have no interest in doing so. We also cannot control how Instagram manages comment threads. This page is run by the team, not the owners.”
Georgina Pellant -
26th January 2022 
