Marks & Spencer has finally announced the date that its massive new “market-style” Foodhall will open its doors in Stockport next month.
After it was announced earlier this year that the Greater Manchester town would see the return of M&S after the retailer notably-closed its large department store inside the Merseyway Shopping Centre back in 2021, the opening date of the new Foodhall has officially been confirmed.
The new 16,000 sq ft Foodhall will open at Stockport Retail Park on Wednesday 14 June.
With an all-new look, M&S says Stockport shoppers can expect a “bigger, better, and fresher” experience than ever before when the new Foodhall opens its doors.
Fresh produce from M&S Select Farms, a “bigger-than-ever” M&S Bakery offering up freshly-baked bread, cakes, and pastries all throughout the day, and a dedicated M&S Wine Shop with an award-winning selection of drinks are just some of the highlights shoppers will get to make the most of in the new Stockport store.
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A massive new ‘market-style’ M&S Food Hall is opening in Stockport next month / Credit: M&S
“We’re so excited to open our brand-new store on 14 June,” said Anna Priest, Store Manager at M&S Stockport, ahead of the launch date.
“My amazing M&S Stockport team has been working really hard behind the scenes to get the store ready, and we can’t wait for our local customers to experience it for themselves.
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“The new Foodhall is much larger than our former store and packed with so many exciting new features and great quality M&S food products, so whether you’re looking for a big family food shop, or dropping by for some daily essentials – we’ve got you covered.”
It’s opening its doors at Stockport Retail Park / Credit: M&S
The opening of the M&S Foodhall in Stockport is part of a £34 million investment by the retailer in new and existing stores in the North West.
Back in January when the new premises was announced, Sacha Berendji – Retail Operations Director at M&S – said the retailer was “committed to having great shops”, adding that this means “having the right store, in the right place, with the right space to serve our customers the way they want to shop today”.
It’s said that the new M&S Stockport Foodhall has created 70 new jobs, and will ultimately offer the local community “a brilliant place to shop”.
Featured Image – M&S (via Audas)
Shopping
One of Manchester’s biggest vintage shops to close after a decade
Daisy Jackson
One of the biggest and best vintage shops in Manchester has announced its imminent closure.
Thrift Shop, which is part of the legendary Cow Vintage family, has said that the landlord of its store has ‘chosen not to renew our lease’.
The beloved vintage shop has been in its spot just off Piccadilly Gardens for a decade, with colourful rails stuffed with pre-loved denim, coats, dresses, accessories, and more.
Ahead of its closure this week, Thrift Shop has announced details of a major closing down sale, aiming to get rid of all its stock.
Initially touted as two for £10 on all thrift items, they’ve now slashed prices even further and are offering three items for £10.
That does exclude their ‘premium’ items, where you can snap up big labels like Carhartt and Levi’s.
Sharing the sad news of its closure online, Thrift Shop Manchester wrote: “We are gutted to announce the closure of beloved Manchester store.
Thrift Shop Manchester is throwing a huge closing down sale
“Last week we found out our landlord chose not to renew our lease after over ten years in this unit.
“To bid our farewell, we’re doing a MASSIVE closing down sale to get rid of all stock !!!! All Thrift items will be 2 for £10 until our last trading day on 30th May!!
“We’ve absolutely loved serving you for all these years, so long, farewell and, as always, get thrifty.”
In the comments, fellow independent retailer Thunder Egg – which just had to move out of its Oldham Street store (but is still in Afflecks) – commented: “So sorry to hear this, retail landlords in Manchester are absolutely in their sh*tbag era right now.”
Thrift Shop Manchester will close for good on Saturday 30 May.
Demolition and regeneration plans for former Manchester shopping centre to begin next month
Emily Sergeant
Plans to demolish and regenerate a former shopping centre in a Manchester suburb are set to kick off from next month.
Following planning approval at the end of 2025, major plans to transform the former Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre into a ‘thriving’ new destination to live and shop are set to commence with demolition in the next couple of weeks.
If you’re unfamiliar with the plans for the new Chorlton neighbourhood, they include 262 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, all with access to outdoor space through balconies and gardens, 53 affordable homes – with 49 of them being available for social rent – and around 3,500 sq metres of public open space with fully walkable routes and outdoor seating areas.
A mix of flexible retail spaces, including a new ‘Makers Yard’ suitable for smaller start-up businesses will also be included, alongside new tree planting.
Phase one of the project will involve the dismantling the former shopping centre and neighbouring Graeme House buildings.
According to developers, the first step will be to close the precinct car park at the end of this month, before new hoardings are installed around the site to close the area off to pedestrians and vehicles for safety reasons.
The demolition work is expected to begin in mid-June, and be completed by August.
Where possible, materials from the existing buildings will be reused during construction of the new neighbourhood in a bid to help reduce the number of vehicles needed to remove materials from the site.
“Demolition marks another major milestone for the project, which will completely transform the former shopping centre,” commented Georgina Lynch, who is the managing director at Manchester-based developers, PJ Livesey.
“Our demolition contractor will carefully manage any issues throughout the work, and we will continue to stay in regular contact with local residents and businesses as the demolition progresses.”
Emily Sergeant -
17th May 2023 
