Travel & Tourism

Huge food hall, luxury shops and more set to open at Manchester Airport

Including the airport's first-ever Wetherspoons

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 19th September 2024

Manchester Airport has today revealed details of more than 20 new shops, bars and restaurants that will open at its shiny new Terminal 2 next year, including a huge new street food hall.

Everything from luxury retail units to a new pub will be opening to cater to passengers before they jet off on their holidays.

Manchester Airport has lined up an impressive array of food, drink and retail for this final phase of its £1.3bn transformation programme.

This includes the airport’s first ever Wetherspoons pub, a Chanel makeup and skincare boutique, a Pandora, Greggs, and Joe and the Juice.

Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport will also include plenty of local food names again – you’ll be able to indulge on Gooey bakes in the new food hall, visit an expanded Amber Alehouse from Seven Brothers Brewery, as well as visiting the existing locations of Pot Kettle Black, Archie’s and Sam Carlo.

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The huge new phase for the airport, completing in Summer 2025, will feature a Boutique Mall home to brands like Chanel and a Fever-Tree cocktail bar, as well as a high street-style strip called The Avenue, where passengers will find LEGO, Pandora and Rituals.

Of the 22-strong list of new businesses joining the Manchester Airport, a big name is the 472-seat market hall-style street food venue, which will have seven different kitchens within it, including a Gooey dessert bar.

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The Great Northern Market will feature a diverse range of world street food options including pizza, Mexican food, noodles and more, with a regularly rotating offering.

The Great Northern market has been created with street food pioneer Dominic Cools-Lartigue, the founder of food markets Street Feast and Dalston Yard, and Airport Retail Enterprise.

The Great Northern market is part of the new phase of Manchester Airport. Credit: MAG
The Great Northern market is part of the new phase of Manchester Airport. Credit: MAG

Alongside it will be the first JD Wetherspoon’s pub at Manchester Airport, which will feature nods to sporting greats of the North in its decor, as well as brands like Upper Crust, Starbucks, and WHSmith’s Grindsmith Café.

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A new World Duty Free store will span a whopping 2,165sq metres, packed with names like Christian Dior, Gucci, YSL and Charlotte Tilbury, plus other luxury and beauty brands, premium liquor, souvenirs, food and drink, and loads more, with smaller ‘Express’ stores dotted through the terminal.

Manchester Airport’s £1.3bn transformation project has been ongoing for almost a decade, said to be generating 16,400 extra jobs by 2040 as a result of the economic activity stimulated by the expansion of the airport and its route network.

More than 30 million passengers have already used the Terminal Two extension since the first phase opened in 2021.

A planned extension to the Amber Alehouse by Seven Bro7hers at Manchester Airport. Credit: MAG
A planned extension to the Amber Alehouse by Seven Bro7hers at Manchester Airport. Credit: MAG

Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director at Manchester Airport, said: “We are really proud to connect the North to the world – and now through our brand new Terminal 2 we’re able to do that in a setting that rivals any airport in any major capital city.

“The new shops, bars and restaurants we’re adding in the second phase of the development of Terminal 2 will really elevate the experience and help people feel like they’re starting their holidays at the airport.

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“Whatever your budget and preferences, you’ll be able to find something to your tastes in Terminal 2.

“Not only that, you’ll also be able to enjoy modern, world-class facilities and one of Europe’s most extensive route networks – so wherever you’re travelling, you’ll be able to start your trip in style.”

John Butts at Director, Airport Retail Enterprise, added: “We are delighted to be such a huge part of the new Terminal 2 expansion and to be bringing a food market to Manchester Airport.

“Manchester’s food and beverage scene is world class and food market halls have played an integral role in this culture – they offer choice, convenience, speed and the buzz of communal dining at an affordable price.

A new duty free will also be added to Manchester Airport Terminal 2 along with the new food and drink offerings. Credit: MAG
A new duty free will also be added to Manchester Airport Terminal 2 along with the new food and drink offerings. Credit: MAG

“We’ve brought together a fabulous team including those behind Manchester icons Gooey and Dominic Cools-Lartigue, the founder of food markets Street Feast and Dalston Yard. We are bringing local suppliers to a fantastic open space which will include murals hand-painted by local artists.

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“Airport dining has never looked better and it is our vision that Great Northern Market will rival any high street experience.”

Richard Jackson, Retail Director at Manchester Airport, said: “We are proud of the world-class facilities on offer in Terminal 2, and a key part of our vision for the finished terminal is to provide an unrivalled experience for passengers shopping and dining before they catch their flight.

CGI of the new premium 'high street'-style retail offering at Manchester Airport Terminal 2. Credit: MAG
CGI of the new premium ‘high street’-style retail offering at Manchester Airport Terminal 2. Credit: MAG

“We’re delighted to be bringing such a varied offering to the second phase of our brand-new Terminal 2, with local brands complemented by well-known high street names and options to suit every budget.

“We’ve worked hard to make sure we’re bringing exciting, classic brands like Chanel and Pandora to the airport as well as Fever-Tree opening a statement cocktail bar and our very own Lego store – while also making sure people have the brands they love to see in an airport setting like Wetherspoon and Greggs.

“On top of that our Great Northern Market will be a unique airport offering – allowing people to enjoy the popular ‘market hall’ style dining experience with a range of individual street food style pop ups around a central eating area. It will let groups of people dine together while being able to choose from a range of different and varied menus.”

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Featured image: MAG

Travel & Tourism

Blackpool named the UK’s ‘most romantic’ place for a getaway

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

It may not be a headline you were expecting to read today, but the best places in the UK for a romantic getaway have just been named.

And Blackpool is sitting right at the top of the list.

In case you hadn’t heard, or clocked the date yet, Valentine’s Day is coming up on Friday, so what better way to celebrate the international day of love in all its glory than whisking you and your loved one away on a romantic trip or day out, right?

While most couples would probably have faraway tropical island resorts or European cosmopolitan cities at the top of their travel bucket lists, realistically, that doesn’t always fit into everyone’s budgets, and often leaves us having to stay a little closer to home… but, is Lancashire a little too close? We’d have to go with yes.

Don’t get us wrong, there’s some stunning rural Lancashire villages and towns that should absolutely be destinations on your lists to visit sometime soon, but Blackpool doesn’t exactly scream romance.

Blackpool has been named one of the UK’s ‘most romantic’ places for a getaway / Credit: Pixahive | Pexels

Despite our initial reactions, it’s true – the Lancashire seaside resort town has been named the best place in the UK for a romantic getaway, according to a research study by travel deals site Tripplo.

The company examined several factors to devise the list of six, including the number of romantic hotels in each city, the total number of reviews for romantic hotels in each town, the average number of reviews, the average Booking.com rating, the average price, and the average star rating – with all hotels filtered using Booking.com’s ‘romantic hotels’ filter.  

An overall ‘romance score’ was then created for each location by equally taking into consideration the number of romantic hotels per 100,000 people, average Booking.com rating, average price per night, and average star rating.  

And Blackpool came out as number one.

Blackpool seafront at night
The seaside resort town achieved an overall romance score of 73.34 out of 100 / Credit: Mark McNeill (via Unsplash)

Achieving an overall romance score of 73.34 out of 100, Blackpool, impressively, was found to have 60 romantic hotels per 100,000 people – which is the sixth highest amount in the UK – and an average Booking.com rating of 8.81, while it also ranked as the cheapest, with the average price of an overnight stay being £103.95 per night.  

It did, however, have an average star rating for the romantic hotels as 3.55, which is unfortunately the third lowest in the country.  

If Blackpool in the top spot wasn’t shocking enough as it is, the rest of the list is also pretty questionable too – with the top six being rounded out by Preston, Bath, Wrexham, Chester, and, wait for it… Burnley.

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So for once when it comes to a top 10 ranking, the North – and particularly, the North West – is a very well-represented region, so let’s take our wins where we can get them.

Featured Image – Francis Heathcote (via Unsplash)

Travel & Tourism

Treehouse Hotel Manchester finally announces opening date – and it’s soon

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Treehouse Hotel Manchester finally announces opening date - and it's soon

One of the most hotly-anticipated new hotel openings in Manchester, Treehouse Hotel, has finally confirmed its launch date.

The major new opening has been slowly transforming the brutalist tower at the end of Deansgate, formerly long-standing hotel the Renaissance, into a ‘whimsical, forest-inspired’ accommodation.

Once it opens, Treehouse Hotel will bring 224 guest rooms, including nine suites and three accessible rooms, to Manchester.

Also opening on the ground floor of the huge building will be Pip, by acclaimed local chef Mary-Ellen McTague, showcasing a low-waste cooking approach with seasonally sourced ingredients.

Just announced too as part of Treehouse Hotel Manchester is Sister Moon by Sam Grainger, a 14th-floor Southeast Asian dining destination set to open later in 2025.

Work has been ongoing at the site for several years now, with an initial launch date pencilled in for summer 2023.

But things are finally coming together and Treehouse Hotel Manchester has now announced it will open the doors to its ‘playful and free-spirited’ hotel on Wednesday 19 March.

This ‘one-of-a-kind’ addition to Manchester’s thriving hotel scene follows SH Hotels & Resorts (soon to be Starwood Hotels) launch of its first Treehouse property in London in 2019.

A glimpse inside the rooms at Treehouse Hotel Manchester
A glimpse inside the rooms at Treehouse Hotel Manchester. Credit: Brad Matthews

The new hotel aims to provide a ‘unique retreat for visitors seeking both comfort and an element of adventure’.

Its interiors will blend the enchanting charm of a forest with the hotel’s signature ‘perfectly imperfect’ design ethos.

And they’ve called upon some of the North West’s most celebrated culinary names to craft the dining and drinking options, Pip and the newly-announced Sister Moon.

Also up on the 14th floor will be The Nest in Treehouse, a space with sweeping city views and a lively atmosphere.

Pip Restaurant will open at the new Treehouse Hotel. Credit: Supplied
Pip Restaurant will open at the new Treehouse Hotel. Credit: Supplied

And up on the top of the hotel will be The Hideout, an intimate rooftop lounge and terrace, with Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford leading a series of events across the hotel.

Treehouse Hotel Manchester will have on-site facilities that include a 43-seat Flix screening room, a state-of-the-art Playground gym, and meeting rooms named after trees.

There’s nothing like a bit of shrubbery to break up the grey-scale skyscraper landscape of Manchester and this next new opening has taken it to the next level.

Stays at Treehouse Hotel Manchester start from £199 per night, with bookings now open HERE.

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Featured image: Supplied

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