Manchester Airport has opened a new shop in Terminal 1 and one new restaurant will be opening in Terminal 2 in September.
The Sculpts, a design business started by a Mancunian couple during the pandemic, opened in Terminal 1 on August 19 and offers a wide range of handmade homeware and souvenirs.
Its products are made in the city and inspired by Manchester’s cultural scene.
Products include greetings cards, prints, textiles, mugs, and the business’ signature ‘alphabet tiles’ with each letter accompanied by a hand-drawn illustration of a part of Manchester’s heritage from the Worker Bee to Stephenson’s Rocket and Factory Records.
The Sculpts started trading as an online retailer in 2020 and opened its first bricks-and-mortar store in Sale last year but will now have the opportunity to reach millions of potential customers from across the planet at Manchester Airport.
Having branched out from an online business to outdoor markets, The Sculpts opened a pop-up stand in John Lewis over Christmas in 2021 and 2022 and took up permanent residence at Altrincham Market.
Some of Manchester’s best-loved cultural institutions now stock the company’s products in their gift shops, including Manchester City Art Gallery, John Rylands Library, the National Football Museum and Whitworth Gallery.
This year, The Sculpts are collaborating with MTV to create an exclusive design for more than 100 world-famous music artists performing at the Europe Music Awards which is being held in Manchester in November.
It designs its own original Manchester-inspired artwork, all its products are handmade in the city rather than being outsourced to a mass producer and all its small team of employees call the city home.
Mancunian start-ups that have opened units at Manchester Airport include Salford brewery Seven Bro7hers, coffee chain Pot Kettle Black and fast-food restaurant Archie’s.
Jade King, Managing Director at The Sculpts, said: “We’re so excited to be able to offer travellers through Manchester the chance to take home a beautiful reminder of our great city.
“We’ve captured the history and heritage of Manchester on exclusive artwork, homeware and luxury gifts that celebrate the spirit of the city: a melting pot of music, history and style.
“We send lots of our work abroad, whether to Mancunians living in other countries, or tourists who’ve visited the city, so opening at Manchester Airport is a natural progression for us and a great opportunity to showcase our city to the world.”
Manchester Airport to open new restaurant this September
Pasta Evangelists, founded by Genoa-born Alessandro Savelli in 2016, is opening a restaurant in Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport.
He was on a mission to bring his family’s cooking to a UK audience and in 2018 he and co-founder Finn Lagun appeared on BBC show Dragons’ Den in the hope of securing investment but were unsuccessful despite Deborah Meaden describing the food as “delicious.”
The brand continued to grow through its pasta making classes and home delivery range and Pasta Evangelists has since opened two branches - a pop-up in famous London department store Harrods and the other in upmarket West London suburb Richmond.
Its third restaurant will open in Manchester Airport in late September and will, for the first time, introduce customers to the Pasta Evangelists’ Italian breakfast offering which is set to be rolled out to other locations in the future.
Manchester Airport passengers can look forward to dishes including the Italian breakfast bowl which boasts grilled pancetta, Sicilian sausages, frittata, baked borlotti beans and mushrooms with a vegetarian option also on offer.
The restaurant will also serve Pasta Evangelists’ luxury pasta sauces with each dish complemented by a fresh pasta shape such as its ‘Carbonara of Dreams’ with spaghetti, beef ragù with mafaldine, wild mushroom rigatoni, pistachio, lemon and chilli pesto with lumace.
Italian classics including Prosecco, Aperol Spritz and Birra Moretti lagers will be on offer as well as Italian coffees, tea and San Pellegrino soft drinks.
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Alessandro Savelli, founder of Pasta Evangelists, said: “We are thrilled to launch our first airport outlet at Manchester Airport. It is a very exciting time to see the rapid growth of the Pasta Evangelists brand as it continues to reach new consumers.
“This past year has been a huge step forward for us, the launch of the Pasta Factory, our Richmond franchise store and a wealth of regional openings for our takeaway kitchens.
“We are constantly seeking new ways to innovate and the Italian inspired breakfast menu at Manchester Airport is just another example of our passion and willingness to expand into new areas.”
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