Another business has fallen victim to COVID-19 economic struggles this week as the beloved Cat Cafe Manchester announces it is to close its doors for good.
Cat Cafe Manchester was “on a mission to make people feel better” after occupying premises in the heart of the Northern Quarter for the past four and a half years, but it sadly announced its permanent closure in a post to devastated customers and fans on social media this afternoon.
The High Street business said: “We are truly heartbroken to announce this news, however due to COVID-19 Cat Cafe Manchester will be closing its doors.
“Our lease at 103 High Street is coming to an end and unfortunately we haven’t been able to agree new terms with our landlord.
“It has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, [though] as it stands we simply cannot afford to continue in our current unit [but] we hope to relaunch in a new premises once the pandemic is over, so please continue to bear with us through this very difficult time.
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“We will be spending the next few weeks finding loving permanent homes for our 10 resident cats.”
The statement closed out reading: “We would like to thank every single customer who has visited us over the last 4 and a half years [as] without you, we wouldn’t be here and we are forever grateful for your custom.
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“We know that Cat Cafe Manchester has a special place in the hearts of many, and we hope this farewell is for now, and not forever.”
Cat Cafe Manchester – part of the Cat Cafe chain – first opened its doors in the heart of the Northern Quarter back in August 2016, and has since gone on to become “a safe space in an increasingly busy and digital world”, as research has shown that “hearing a cat purr can lower your blood pressure and stroking a cat can slow your heart rate, so by stopping, resting, and watching, it is Cat Café’s aim to enable people to become more mindful and present in their day-to-day lives”.
The business’ mission statement was to “give you a new perspective” and “encourage the people of Britain’s greatest cities to be more cat”.
You can find more information about Cat Cafe Manchester via its website.
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M&S launches new Too Good To Go partnership – with NINE Greater Manchester stores signed up
Emily Sergeant
M&S has finally decided to partner with food waste charity, Too Good To Go.
As of yesterday, a total of 350 M&S stores across the UK – including nine major sites in Greater Manchester – now offer new Too Good To Go ‘Surprise Bags’ that are made up of surplus bakery goodies, giving customers the chance to collect quality food at a reduced price at the end of the day directly from in-store bakeries.
The launch follows a trial in a select number of UK stores, and the Surprise Bags will include bakery treats such as pastries, cookies, and fresh bread.
The partnership with Too Good To Go is the latest move in M&S Food’s work to reduce surplus food and ensure good food doesn’t go to waste.
Greater Manchester stores that will be taking part in the new Too Good To Go partnership include Manchester Market Street, Trafford Centre, Stockport, Spinningfields, Prestwich, Wigan Robin, Bolton Middlebrook, Bury The Rock, and Ashton Moss.
Each of the Surprise Bags will include three to four bakery products to a minimum retail price of £10.20 for just £3.80.
Available Monday to Saturday, customers can order their Surprise Bags through the Too Good To Go app, and collect them one hour before their local store closes.
“It’s great to be involved in this new launch with Too Good To Go to help reduce food waste,” commented Chris Parker, who is the Store Manager at M&S Bolton Middlebrook.
“Our in-store bakeries are incredibly popular with customers, and at the end of the day, customers will now be able to order and collect surprise bags offering fantastic surplus bakery products at great value.
“By finding new ways to re-purpose surplus products, we’re helping ensure more food is enjoyed rather than wasted. This partnership is another positive step towards reaching our goal of halving food waste by 2030.”
Featured Image – Supplied
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Both Manchester United and Manchester City named as teams with the least amount of local fans
Emily Sergeant
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been identified as being teams with the least amount of local fans, according to a new survey.
We all know that supporting a local team can be seen as a mark of credibility among a certain kind of football fan, while on the flip side of that, not following a local team is often associated with being a ‘glory hunter’. But which Premier League clubs have the highest – and lowest – proportion of supporters living close to home?
Well, YouGov decided to use its profiles data to analyse the fanbases of all 20 Premier League clubs for the 2026-27 season to get the answer to this once and for all.
And it’s fair to say that it’s not looking the best for the Manchester teams.
The study found that, overall, Brighton & Hove Albion is the Premier League’s most local team – with 56% of fans based in the South East.
Sunderland (50%) and Nottingham Forest (49%) supporters are the next-most likely to live in the same region as their teams, followed by Aston Villa, Brentford, Ipswich, Leeds, Fulham, Hull, and Crystal Palace fans rounding out the top 10.
At the other end of the table, Manchester United has the second-lowest proportion of local supporters, with only a quarter based in the North West (23%), with one in six (17%) actually living in London instead.
And then as for Manchester City – who are widely considered to be the most successful team of the modern era – it has ranked fourth-bottom for local fans, as a quarter of the club’s supporters are based in the North West, with a fifth based in London (19%).
But although both United and City have found themselves towards the bottom end of the ranking, they are not the worst offenders.
That title, unfortunately, does belong to another North West team though – Liverpool.
Liverpool is the club with the lowest proportion of ‘local’ supporters, as just a fifth are based in the North West (21%) with the next highest concentration of fans can being found in London.
The Manc -
11th January 2021 
