Manchester Airport’s transformation of Terminal 2 has hit another milestone this week, with the opening of a new section of the departure lounge.
The airport’s 10-year, £1.3bn Terminal 2 transformation project has been opening in several impressive phases, more than doubling its overall size.
The new section of the redeveloped Manchester Airport Terminal 2 is home to six new shops and foot outlets, including viral favourite Joe & The Juice, and a LEGO store.
Also opening this week are a new Starbucks, Upper Crust, Pandora, and Rituals.
The extension to the terminal first opened in 2021, with work to bring the existing building up to the same standard now almost complete.
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Later this year, there’ll be more new openings to look forward to, including Chanel, Grindsmith by WH Smith, a Fever Tree cocktail and champagne bar, and the Great Northern Market – a food court with a selection of street food options.
More than 70% of the airport’s passengers will use the new facilities, and Terminal 1 will close when the project is completed later this year.
Last year the terminal extension claimed a prestigious, UNESCO-backed Prix Versailles award recognising its outstanding design.
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Manchester Airport opens another section of new Terminal 2, with Joe & The Juice and LEGO
Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director at Manchester Airport, said: “It’s wonderful to see more of our new-look Terminal 2 opening to the public, further enhancing the world class passenger experience that this terminal offers.
“We have a busy few months ahead of us as we finish this transformative 10-year project.
“We’re proud to connect the people of the North with the world, and these new facilities will allow them to travel in the style befitting a major international hub, while also creating a striking first impression for visitors to our region.
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“Manchester and the North are woven through the fabric of this terminal building, from the worker bee and honeycomb motif in the terminal’s design, to the many Northern brands operating shops and restaurants in our departure lounge.
“We’re thrilled to see the last pieces of the project coming together and we’re sure the 70 per cent or so of our passengers who will use the final product will be as pleased with it as we are.”
Richard Jackson, Retail Director at Manchester Airport, said: “We’re pleased to welcome so many exciting brands to our new-look Terminal 2. These brands are household names and leaders within their markets, with a reputation for quality, which makes them a perfect fit for the experience we are creating here.
“I look forward to working with them and with the brands due to open units later this year, as we put the finishing touches to the terminal.”
A new design-led hostel with rooms from £41 has opened in the Northern Quarter
Daisy Jackson
A new hostel has launched in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, with rooms starting from just £41.
The staggeringly affordable new accommodation comes from Malacuna, which already has similar sites across Spain and Portugal.
The European brand has now taken over a prime building in the Northern Quarter, just off Stevenson Square, which used to be home to Hatters Hostel.
The Hilton Street hostel features 37 rooms and 132 beds, from private rooms to shared dorms with four, six or eight beds.
These spaces at Malacuna are promising ‘design-led accommodation that doesn’t compromise on style, location or social atmosphere’.
With Manchester now attracting 2.6 million overnight visitors annually, demand for accommodation is surging – especially around major events such as Parklife festival, gigs at Co-op Live and the AO Arena, and football.
And now visitors will finally have somewhere to stay that won’t break the bank, with beds from £41 per night in one of the most sought-after corners of Manchester.
Malacuna is set directly above Wilson’s, a 200-capacity bar and restaurant, and is open now.
More Greater Manchester football matches called off as Storm Goretti sets in
Danny Jones
Yet more scheduled football matches in Greater Manchester and the surrounding regions have been postponed and/or cancelled due to Storm Goretti.
The increasingly cold, blustery and icy conditions moving over from France and across more parts of the UK have already caused schools to close, flights to be grounded, and plenty more disruption.
Another such inconvenience has come in the form of live sports, large swathes of which now look like they simply won’t be taking place.
One of the latest to be called off is Salford City‘s upcoming game against Swindon Town in the FA Cup this weekend, with various other games involving teams up and down the footballing pyramid now facing uncertainty over whether their third-round fixtures will go ahead as planned.
Ironically, this is just the tip of the iceberg, if you’ll pardon the very obvious pun.
Another game that was called off late last week, between Chadderton and FC Isle of Man, is yet to be rescheduled; the same is true of Rochdale AFC’s meeting with Brackley Town, Radcliffe v Oxford City, as well as games involving Bury, Stockport Town, Irlam, Cheadle Town, Prestwich Heys and more.
Other nearby outfits, such as Chorley, Warrington Rylands and Ramsbottom United, just to name a few, are also still unsure of when their next game will be.
In many cases, it is simply a matter of the grounds being largely or completely frozen and deemed unfit for use following pitch inspections.
Oldham Athletic – which has already been hit with plenty of snow and frost – yesterday confirmed that their Notts County clash wouldn’t be going ahead due to that very reason.
With winds of up to 90 miles per hour also being reported, yellow and even red weather warnings have been issued across various parts of the country, with people being urged to check their routes home from work by local authorities.
Storm Goretti should start calming down this evening (Fri, 9 January) and into Saturday morning, but the after-effects could still play havoc over the next few days.
For instance, over in Cheshire, Macclesfield FC are going so far as to call on nearby residents to help clear their playing surface from heavy snowfall.
So, if you’re in the area and fancy helping out, they could sure do with your help.
VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED
Macclesfield FC are once again requesting the help of the fanbase and the local community to help clear the remainder of the compacted snow from the surrounding areas of the https://t.co/fL99QEEJ4D Stadium.
Daisy Jackson -
28th July 2025 
