Less than two months after Boujee closed its site in Liverpool, signs have appeared outside the Manchester site showing that it has also suffered the same fate.
A handwritten note simply reading “closed, so sorry” has been taped to the all-pink restaurant and bar’s front door, whilst a second on the restaurant’s terrace, which had been taken over by pop-up venue Carnival, read: ‘we are extremely sorry but due to unforeseen circumstances we are left with no other options to close the venue.”
Image: Boujee
On the Boujee website, all traces of the Manchester venue have now been removed with just the Chester site now available to book online.
The news should not come as a surprise, given that the restaurant has appeared to be struggling for several months now.
Earlier this summer, staff walked out of the Liverpool site complaining of unpaid wages and tips. At the time, workers said that they had received just 40% of their expected wages on recent paydays and claimed that management had withheld their table service charges for months.
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The pay dispute was reported in the Liverpool Echo, after staff told the paper some colleagues had walked out of shifts over the situation and that others were struggling to meet their rent and mortgage payments.
A company message was shared with Boujee’s staff at the end of June in an attempt to explain to workers why they had not received their full pay.
It said: “It is with huge regret and disappointment that we are not able to pay the wages in their entirety today. We have exhausted every avenue and it is at the point where we require the revenue from this weekend and next in order to catch up and make the payments in full.
“Today we will be making a payment to all employees of 40 per cent of their total wage. On Monday we will make a second payment and this will be 30 per cent of their total wage plus 50 per cent of the service charge for the month.
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“The following Monday we will pay the remaining 30 per cent and the remaining 50 per cent of the service charge.
“We are extremely sorry that it has come to this and I assure you we are doing all we can to get back on track and our team are vital in this path to recovery. We fully appreciate this is not acceptable and we thank you for your hard work, support and loyalty through what has been a very challenging time.”
Now, it appears that the business has had another setback as it has moved to close its Manchester site too.
Image: The Manc Group
The news follows an announcement from the former director and Real Housewive Of Cheshire star Lystra Adams who revealed last month that she had walked away from the business.
In a post on Instagram, Lystra wrote: “I’m walking away … As of yesterday 23/09/2022 I walked away from what I’ve know and loved for past near two years. As many of you may know I have given considerable time and dedication in building the brand and platform for myself.
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“Over the past eight months things had taken a bumpy turn. I had confidence in that the board of directors would turn it around. Unfortunately mistakes were made along the way […] and it made the comeback near impossible.”
She continued: “As a 20-per-cent shareholder and the face of the business I want you to know that I did what I could with what I had. […] I’ve made my voice heard more than before as I dreaded this day would come. I’ve taken abuse in all forms for being the face of the companies involved as well as my daughter and enough is enough.
“Sorry it’s taken so long to speak out and I want to thank each and everyone that has visited or worked for Boujee and carnival from opening until now. All my love, Lystra.”
Feature image – The Manc Group
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Tram diversions and disruption on Market Street as improvement works are carried out
Emily Sergeant
Essential improvement works are currently taking place on the Metrolink network between Shudehill and Market Street.
As the next phase of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network gets under way this month, essential track replacement work is now being carried out in a bid to make the network ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable’ for years to come.
As of yesterday (1 June) through to Tuesday 9 June, improvement works are taking place in the city centre, and during this time, no trams will operate via Market Street and Shudehill.
This means that, while the work is carried out, some disruption is expected and passengers are urged to ‘plan ahead’ for their journeys.
For the next week, all services from Altrincham will operate to Bury via Exchange Square, and all services from Bury will operate to Altrincham via Exchange Square – with neither calling at Piccadilly Gardens, Piccadilly, Market Street, and Shudehill.
Tram diversions and disruption on Market Street as improvement works are carried out / Credit: The Manc Group
Services from the Trafford Centre will operate to Etihad Campus, while services from Manchester Airport will operate to Victoria via Exchange Square.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has advised that, for customers on the Bury and Altrincham lines, the easiest way to reach Piccadilly will be by changing trams at St Peters Square, although you may need to change platforms for the right trams, so you should check departure boards and signage on stop for more details.
Customers may need to change trams, take a short walk, or hop on the free Bee Network bus to continue their journey. Outside of free bus operating times, however, a replacement bus will operate between Piccadilly and Victoria.
🛠️ Tram works are taking place in the city centre until Tuesday 9 June. Changes to the service pattern are in place:
– Altrincham/Bury & Airport/Victoria services are operating via Exchange Square – Trafford Centre services are operating to Etihad Campus
“These improvements are part of our continued £150m investment to make our tram network safer, more reliable and more resilient for the long term,” commented Ian Davies, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink.
“I’d strongly encourage everyone travelling during this period to plan ahead, as some tram services will need to change while we carry out this essential work.”
Tram services will resume via the Market Street/Shudehill stops from the start of service on Wednesday 10 June.
Everything you need to know about the planned works is on the TfGM website here.
Featured Image – TfGM
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Pair jailed after filming themselves driving over 130mph before killing man in fatal Manchester collision
Emily Sergeant
Two men who filmed themselves driving at speeds of over 130mph before a fatal collision earlier this year have now been jailed.
20-year-old Uways Hussain, of Marley Road in Manchester, has been sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison, while 23-year-old Usmon Mahmood, of Buller Road in Manchester, has been sentenced to 12 years and nine months.
Their sentences follow a night of what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) called ‘dangerous driving’ around the South Manchester area, which started at around 11pm on the evening before the collision.
The vehicle – a Volkswagon Golf – belonged to Mahmood, but he allowed Hussain to drive the vehicle at high-speed throughout the night.
On the evening prior to the collision, beginning at around 11pm, Hussain and Mahmood were driving recklessly around the South Manchester area.
According to police, the pair filmed themselves consistently travelling at speeds of over 100mph on 30mph roads, and in several cases, theyvreached over 130mph and seconds before impact, were recorded at 139mph.
Recorded footage also showed them running red lights and weaving through traffic with no regard for the safety of other road users or pedestrians.
At one stage during the night, the pair stopped at a petrol station, where footage shows Mahmood inhaling from a balloon in the passenger seat, while later o Hussain can be seen doing over 100mph and also appearing to be inhaling from a balloon while driving.
The fatal collision happened at around 4:36am on Monday 9 March 2026 at the junction of Green End Road and Kingsway, where the victim – Sylvester Abayomi, 50 – was on his way to work and entered the junction on a green light, believing it was safe to proceed, but was then struck by the car being driven by Hussain, which had travelled through a red light at extremely high speed.
Sylvester Abayomi / Credit: GMP
Immediately following the collision, GMP received several emergency calls and an automatic alert from Hussain’s Apple Watch saying he had been involved in a collision.
During this alert, both men could be heard discussing plans to flee the scene and attempting to decide what evidence they needed to remove from the vehicle. They were also heard discussing reporting the vehicle as stolen, and shortly afterwards, they booked an Uber to escape.
Emergency services attended the scene, but sadly, despite their best efforts, Sylvester sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead.
GMP says it received its first report of the incident at 4:37am,, and within 12 minutes the pair had been located, caught, and arrested by officers.
DC Thomas Johnson, from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, described the incident as ‘one of the most extreme cases of dangerous driving we have encountered’.
It’s also believed that this is one of the first times in the country where a passenger has been convicted for aid and abetting causing death by dangerous driving.
Georgina Pellant -
6th October 2022 
