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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Paul Merson slams ‘pathetic’ plans for Manchester United’s new stadium
Danny Jones
Ex-footballer and pundit Paul Merson has branded the recently revealed plans for Manchester United’s new stadium as “pathetic” in a recent interview.
The former Arsenal and Aston Villa turned manager, commentator and TV personality spoke to Sky Sports this week after the CGIs for what some supporters are already dubbing ‘New Trafford’ were shown to the world on Tuesday.
Now, while it’s fair to say the designs have been pretty divisive, for Merson it’s still a headscratcher as to why United supporters want to leave such a historic ground and one that is still the second-largest football stadium in the country for something new and so different.
The 56-year-old didn’t hold back when giving his opinion on the matter, insisting, “If I was a Man United fan I’d be fuming.”
"I think it's pathetic…if I'm a Man United fan, I'll be fuming"
Paul Merson shares his honest opinion on Manchester United's new stadium plans 😨 pic.twitter.com/A74xeKwkpG
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 13, 2025
As you can see, ‘Merse’ begins by saying he has “no interest at all”, adding that he thinks “It’s pathetic […] they’ve got one of the biggest stadiums in the Premier League” and therefore aren’t necessarily crying out for more seats, nor an entirely new sporting arena.
It’s worth noting that Old Trafford’s capacity hasn’t necessarily been the issue or priority in recent years: dated facilities, lack of technology such as screens for VAR and the infamous leaking roof, which has been taken into account by architects Foster + Partners.
“Why would you need a new stadium?”, he asks, before going on to suggest that they “need new players” instead and should be more worried about the team and finishing in the top six, “let alone Champions League.”
It’s no secret that the Red Devils’ steady slump out of the premier European competition has cost them significantly in recent years, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe delivering some alarming revelations about the state of the club’s finances in an interview with Gary Neville prior to the stadium reveal.
Merson summarises his opinion by saying, “I can’t believe what I’ve been seeing over the last couple of days – I’m flabbergasted.” Meanwhile, many people are chiefly concerned with how the stadium is going to be paid for, despite Mayor Andy Burnham’s reassurance that “no public money” will be used.
‘New Trafford’ is set to cost £2 billion and could be completed within five years.
Merson might have very strong opinions on Man United building a new stadium, to begin with, but what we’ve really enjoyed is seeing people’s reactions to the admittedly striking design.
Two teen boys arrested in connection with South Manchester machete ‘incidents’
Emily Sergeant
Two teenage boys have been arrested in connection with a series of machete ‘incidents.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, following early-morning warrants in South Manchester yesterday (Wednesday 12 March), officers successfully secured the arrests of two teenage boys in relation to incidents which involved machetes.
The two boys, who are aged 15 and 16, were arrested on suspicion of wounding, and they remain in police custody for questioning at this time.
Police conducted the warrants in the South Manchester area after investigating a number of incidents involving teenagers armed with machetes and zombie knives being involved in violent disorder across the wider borough.
Thankfully, no serious injuries have been reported in relation to these incidents, and police investigations remain ongoing.
“Our team has been investigating a series of machete incidents in South Manchester over the last four months,” Detective Inspector John Robb, of GMP’s City of Manchester South district, explained following the double arrest.
“These arrests are an excellent result, but our work does not stop there.
“We will continue our efforts to investigate these crimes and bring those responsible to justice. Extra patrols will be in place across South Manchester, so if you see any of our officers, please feel free to speak to them as they are there to help.”
Anyone with any suspicions of criminality in Greater Manchester can contact GMP on 101, or alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Georgina Pellant -
26th January 2022 
