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
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
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
“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
“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.”
Travel warning issued ahead of huge sporting weekend in and around Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
With two huge sporting events taking place in and around the city centre this weekend, Transport for Greater Manchester has issued a travel warning to those travelling in and out of the area, along with some helpful advice to the thousands of spectators set to arrive from Saturday onwards.
In case you haven’t heard, not only will this weekend see Manchester host the 2024 Betfred Super League Grand Final over at Old Trafford but Sunday will also see 24,000 runners take on the 2024 Manchester Half Marathon, not to mention even more supporters set to line the streets.
With local side Wigan Warriors contesting the final for the 13th time against Hull KR, a crowd of more than 65,000 rugby fans is expected to fill up Old Trafford, with many of those travelling likely to arrive in the city a day prior.
All that being said, it’s going to be a massive sporting weekend in Manchester, so TfGM and the Bee Network are urging both those travelling into the region and locals to plan their journeys accordingly to avoid added congestion and delays.
The Super League Grand Final takes place at Old Trafford this Saturday [12 October] at 6pm.
A six-minute service will operate to the ground on the Altrincham line and a 12-minute service to Wharfside.
As always – not just with big sporting events but the usual weekend bustle – local authorities are urging people to take public transport wherever possible.
Those travelling to the Grand Final at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ are being encouraged to use the Metrolink network, which will be running trams every six minutes to Old Trafford on the Altrincham line.
There will also be services to the Wharfside stop right near the stadium every 12 minutes on the Trafford Park line and Exchange Quay along the Eccles Line.
For those who are driving into the city, be aware that there will be one lane out-of-use on the A56 heading northbound near Barton Road, with delays of around 10-15 minutes expected before the game which is set to kick off 6pm.
Less warning, more just good travel advice; you can find more info on the official Manchester Bee Network website HERE as well as an interactive map down below.
Travel advice for the 2024 Manchester Half – Sunday, 14 October
As for the Sunday and the return of the Manchester Half Marathon, with more than double the number of entrants this year, you can almost certainly expect even more people to turn up in support of those taking part, meaning the city and surrounding areas will be taken over by the event.
The MCR Half 2024 officially gets underway from 8:55am on Sunday but road closures will be in effect from the day prior, with traffic already being impacted by the rugby, so there’s lots to take into account if you’re travelling into any of the affected boroughs (mainly Manchester and Trafford).
For starters, the A56 (North and Southbound) as well as the M60 Junction 7 will be closed until the late afternoon. You can find more travel warning details and timings around Manchester road closures HERE.
As for the trams, runners should aim to use Old Trafford, Trafford Bar and Imperial War Museum as their closest stops when arriving ahead of the starting gun; access to other nearby stops like Pomona, Cornbrook, Exchange Quay and Wharfside will be challenging due to the half marathon course.
If you’re a spectator on the other hand, official cheering zones are located right near the Deansgate-Castelfield Interchange as well as Wharfside near the White City starting line in Trafford. You can find another interactive map to help plan your journey down below.
Director of Customer and Growth at TfGM, Frank Wilkinson, said of the upcoming busy weekend of sport: “It’s shaping up to be a really exciting weekend with two wonderful events that thousands of people will be heading out to enjoy – showcasing what Greater Manchester is all about.
“We want everyone to have a great time and avoid hold-ups and delays wherever possible, which is why I’d encourage anyone travelling in the half marathon area, in particular, to plan ahead and allow themselves plenty of time for their journey.
“Tram will definitely be the best way to get around and if you’re coming to cheer someone on why not avoid the busy start and finish points and cheer on your runner from one of the lovely places along the route, such as Sale or Chorlton.” She also added that those who do end up driving should make use of the park-and-ride sites – there are 24 of them across Greater Manchester and you can the full list HERE.
We wish all those taking part in the Manchester Half Marathon the best of luck and hope everyone turning up to cheer them gives it their all too; as for the Super League Grand Final, it’s sure to be an amazing game and we’re also buzzing to hear that the future will be remaining here for the foreseeable.
Date set for Manchester’s move to London-style ‘touch in, touch out’ public transport system
Emily Sergeant
The date for Manchester’s switch to a London-style ‘touch in, touch out’ public transport system has officially been set.
With just three months to go until all buses in Greater Manchester are back under local control, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has now set the date for the introduction of capped contactless payments on the Bee Network in a bid to “support multi-modal travel”, and it’s already being described as a “huge step forward”.
TfGM believes contactless pay-as-you-go systems on buses and trams will make travel easier overall, as it’ll guarantee passengers pay the right fare for their journey.
But how exactly will it work?
Coming soon, contactless Pay As You Go on #BeeNetwork buses. Travel seamlessly between bus and tram, with fares automatically worked out for you.
🟡 Pay no more than the daily or weekly cap for your journeys (adult fares) 🟡 Unlimited daily travel by bus for £5 a day pic.twitter.com/dOa8o96vqA
Well, similar to how customers currently travel on the Metrolink, passengers will be able to use their bank card or smart payment device to touch in on all Bee Network bus services, and rest assured knowing that they will only be charged the lowest fare up to the daily cap of £5, or the new weekly cap of £20.
Under the new system, people travelling by Bee Network bus will simply ‘touch on’ as they board the service.
Not only that, but passengers will also be able to travel across both Metrolink and Bee Network bus services at the same time, and only be charged a single multi-modal fare, instead of having to plan or buy tickets in advance – which is similar to travelling in London.
Passengers who use both Bee Network bus and Metrolink can use pay as you go for unlimited all-day travel across Greater Manchester, which is expected to cost a maximum of £9.50, or £7.80 if you start your journey after 9:30am or at weekends.
Journeys will be cheaper if travelling across fewer Metrolink zones.
Manchester is set to move to London-style ‘touch in, touch out’ public transport payment system / Credit: TfGM
For the time being, TfGM has confirmed that pay as you go travel will operate with adult fares only, but this may be rolled-out to others in the future.
“Pay as you go will be launching across Bee Network buses to build on the system that has been in place on the Metrolink since 2019,” explained Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
“This is a massive step forward in terms of delivering a London-style transport network for the people of Greater Manchester, putting our region on par with not only the capital, but also major cities across the world that offer seamless integrated travel by public transport.”
Mr Burnham also said it’ll be “affordable and easier to pay for”, and will ultimately “take the worry out of choosing the right ticket”.
Daisy Jackson -
19th September 2024 
