A new supermarket chain is set to open in the UK, and it’s already proving to be a rival to leading budget retailers Aldi and Lidl.
MERE Retail – which is affectionately known by some as “the Russian Lidl” – was founded in 2009 as Svetofor in Siberia, and has since gone on to become one of the largest Russian retail operators in the discounter segment, with more than 2,500 stores in Europe and a reported total of 3,200 stores worldwide.
Although fellow European budget supermarket retailers Aldi and Lidl are likely to be the easiest comparison for Brits, MERE compares itself to Costco.
What makes it different to Costco is that there is no membership fee and no in-store service.
MERE branches are currently set to open doors over the coming months in Castleford, Mold, Caldicot and the nearby Lancashire city of Preston – which is expected to open in mid-July – but the retailer is yet to put down routes in Greater Manchester.
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Now though, it’s reported in The Grocer that plans to step up store openings elsewhere in the UK are beginning to take shape.
Speaking to The Grocer earlier this month, Pavels Antonovs – Head of UK Buying at MERE – claimed that the supermarket would be 30% cheaper than rivals, adding that: “We are the gap in the market [and] we don’t have any competitors.
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“Our model is no service and no marketing.”
Each UK store will reportedly be about 10,000 square feet, and have just eight workers.
Another thing that makes MERE different to other retailers is that items are typically sold directly from the pallets they’re delivered on, and the supermarket buys stock from suppliers on a “sale or return basis” – which means it’ll return any unsold goods back to the seller.
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The shops are also said to include a walk-in chiller room and freezer.
MERE Retail has set out ambitious plans to open over 300 stores in the UK within the next eight to 10 years.
Featured Image – MERE Retail
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Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
15th June 2021 
