Greggs is set to open a giant store in Salford Quays this summer. The high street chain already has 102 outlets in Greater Manchester, and its arrival at MediaCity will create 25 jobs.
It is perhaps a sign of the times that the company is setting up shop at the location as the cost of living soars. Last year a prestige tenant at MediaCity, the northern supermarket chain, Booths, renowned for its range of high quality food, closed. The branch had suffered "significant" losses since opening in 2011.
Greggs will open a large 1,500 sq ft shop within the next few months - in the unit where Booths once was. It is unlikely to be short of customers. It is just over a decade since the first phase of the development was completed.
A huge 200-acre area of wasteland that once housed Manchester's docks was transformed into a glistening tech and media hub. The BBC was the anchor tenant in a move that was meant to break London's grip on media power.
ITV followed suit, along with the University of Salford, and MediaCity is now said to be home to more than 7,000 employees. Last year MediaCity was bought by LandSec, the biggest commercial property company in the UK, for more than £425million and further expansion of the site is planned.
The brand-new Greggs will open in the former Booths unit next to the new Co-op store, creating 25 new, local jobs with recruitment well underway. Gillian Long, Retail Operations Director for Greggs, said: “We are delighted to be opening a new shop at MediaCity this summer to provide customers with a modern, convenient and new place to experience their Greggs favourites on the go.”
Chris Reay, MediaCity Property Director said: “We know there’s a dedicated Greggs fan base across MediaCity and after listening to feedback we’re thrilled to secure Greggs who will be opening a significant sized store here this Summer. It will provide a good value, convenience food offering which will be in demand from our growing numbers of workers, residents and visitors alike. It will be an incredible success here.
But even Greggs are not immune to the affects of inflation. Last week it announced it has been forced to increase prices of popular breakfast items due to rising prices. The company said it was planning on implementing the changes "soon" with product prices set to increase by up to 10p.
