Conference and exhibition centre EventCity in Trafford has pulled plans for venue relocation and has announced its closure.
The large-scale events venue – which has previously hosted a range of events including Winter Funland, the Ideal Home Show and Park N Party – had already been scheduled to close and relocate to a new, purpose-built facility on the site of the old Soccerdome nearby next spring, but the plans, which were approved earlier this year, have now been withdrawn and EventCity will cease trading completely from 31st March 2021.
Owners Peel Group confirmed the closure yesterday evening.
It said that the economic impact of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis on the events and hospitality sector had been “far more extreme than anyone could have envisaged”.
In a statement addressing the closures, a Peel Group spokesperson said: “EventCity’s business strategy throughout the COVID-19 crisis has been focussed on the health, safety and wellbeing of our people, while protecting as many jobs as possible during this exceptionally challenging period.
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“In recent weeks, it has become increasingly clear that the depth of the economic contraction, particularly in the events and hospitality sectors, is far more extreme than anyone could have envisaged. Regrettably, we have had to take the decision to close EventCity by 31st March 2021 and withdraw our plans for a new facility, which were approved by Trafford Council in February of this year.”
EventCity
Construction had yet to begin on the new venue, and Peel is understood to now be exploring other potential leisure options for the Soccerdome site.
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A consultation process has now been launched with staff and around 20 roles are understood to be affected.
The spokesperson continued: “The team have been working hard to follow government guidelines ensuring our re-opening plans adhere to strict protocols set out by a variety of standards and leading industry bodies,”
“A reduced team will operate the events until closure takes place and we will be working with colleagues to support them through this period. The economic uncertainties should in no way undermine the extraordinary commitment and loyalty our colleagues have shown during these most testing times.
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“We would like to thank you for your support and commitment over the years and we wish you all the best for the future.”
Plans for the state-of-the-art development were approved in April and it’s set to open in 2023.
The resort will house a number of pools, water slides, a wave pool, swim-up bars, warm water lagoons and botanical gardens, and there’ll also be a range of spa facilities – including steam rooms, saunas and therapeutic mineral pools – plus a daily programme of water-based fitness classes, such as yoga and pilates.
You can find more information at the Therme Group website here.
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Morrisons introduces new quiet hours to make stores less ‘overwhelming’ for shoppers
Emily Sergeant
Morrisons has decided to extend its popular ‘Quieter Hour’ across the UK to help make its stores less “overwhelming” for shoppers.
Introduced earlier this month to mark World Autism Acceptance Week, and in a bid to turn what can be a daunting task for many people into “a calmer and more enjoyable experience”, the supermarket chain has announced an extension to its already popular initiative by adding new ‘Quieter Hours’ during weekday afternoons.
In case you weren’t aware, Morrisons first introduced its Quieter Hour all the way back in July 2018, and has been welcoming people who may struggle supermarket shopping environments through its doors ever since.
The initiative – which initially took place between 9am and 10am on a Saturday, and for the first hour of trade on a Sunday – originally began as part of the National Autistic Society’s ‘Autism Hour campaign’, after it was found that some neurodiverse people, including those with autism, can find shopping in a supermarket “overwhelming”.
Morrisons has introduced new quiet hours to make stores less ‘overwhelming’ for shoppers / Credit: Morrisons
Supermarkets can lead many people to experience increased sensitivity to light and sound, such as loud music, bright lights, and busy environments, and in turn, this can cause anxiety or, in some of the worst cases, even physical pain.
But now, after the trial has proved to be so successful and well-received, Morrisons has made the decision to extended the initiative to weekdays too, as well as weekends – with ‘Quieter Hours’ now also running every week from Monday to Thursday between 2-3pm.
The company says the extension is all with the aim of “helping even more customers”.
During ‘Quieter Hours’, Morrisons stores operate lower levels of lighting, turn music and radios off, avoid making tannoy announcements, reduce movement of trolleys and baskets, and turn checkout beeps and other electrical noises down.
“The weekly shop can be a daunting task for those who may struggle with noises associated with it,” commented Charlotte Exell, who is the Business Sponsor of Ability at Morrisons.
“At Morrisons, we are always looking for more ways to support customers, and as the Quieter Hour is incredibly popular in our stores across the nation, we have listened to customers and will now help more shoppers in our extended times.”
Featured Image – Morrisons
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Freddos are on sale for 10p at UK supermarkets for the first time in nearly 20 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s happening… it’s finally happening.
We never thought we’d see this again, but for the first time in nearly two whole decades, you can now walk into supermarkets across the UK and pick yourself up a Cadbury Freddo for the price of just 10p.
While it may sound a little too good to be true, due to the fact that the beloved chocolate treat has been creeping up in price for the past 19 years, and has very much gone onto become a classic British reference point for the state of inflation and the rising cost of living crisis, we couldn’t be happier to confirm it is.
But, of course, there is a bit of catch (because isn’t there always).
For anyone looking to get their hands on a slashed-price Freddo – which we imagine will be the vast majority of people reading this – you unfortunately won’t be able to pop into any supermarket, as the 10p offer is exclusive to Sainsbury’s and you’ll need a Nectar card to be eligible for it too.
The caption of the now-viral post reads: “Some things from the mid 2000s should NEVER come back, but this is not one of them.
“Head to any Sainsbury’s superstore to pick up a Freddo for just 10p with your nectar card.”
Sadly, not only is this unmissable Freddo offer exclusive to Sainsbury’s for Nectar card-holders, it’s also only available in Sainsbury’s superstores too, meaning you won’t be able to find the cheap frog-shaped chocolate bars in little Sainsbury’s Local outlets.
The offer is also only for a very limited time too, as it’s available to make the most of from today (17 April) up until next Tuesday 23 April.
Freddos are on sale for 10p at Sainsbury’s for the first time in nearly 20 years / Credit: Sainsbury’s | The Manc Group
Thankfully, Freddos are the only chocolate treats that Sainsbury’s has slashed the price of currently.
As a way of celebrating the iconic confectionary company‘s 200th birthday this year, the supermarket has also put offers on a wide range of other products.
Dairy Milk bars, multipacks of Fudge, Curly Wurlys, and Flakes, Dairy Milk Trays, Chocolate Finger biscuits, and Mini Roll cake bars are the other much-loved Cadbury products currently on sale with up to 30% off their marked price.
Rachel Clark, who is the Director of Grocery for Sainsbury’s, said on the supermarket’s current Cadbury offers: “We’re delighted to be celebrating such an iconic moment for Cadbury, and its milestone of 200 years as a loved chocolate brand. We know that our customers love Cadbury so we’re very excited to be offering market-leading prices across selected Cadbury products, with savings of up to 60% off with Nectar Prices.”
Emily Sergeant -
11th September 2020 
