Manchester Arndale bolsters food and drink offering with “innovative” new café

Manchester Arndale has announced that the contemporary café brand Jamaica Blue has selected the centre as its first café in Manchester after agreeing to take a 4,206 sq ft two-floor unit on a 10-year lease.

Founded in Australia in 1992, Jamaica Blue currently has over 130 cafes, in seven different countries, 17 of which are in the UK. Jamaica Blue’s name comes from the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, said to be one of the best coffee producing regions in the world, and home to its exclusive Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee.

Jamaica Blue attributes its continued success to its “simple philosophy of great coffee and food, together with their passionate team of chefs, baristas, and service team”. It will be continuing this philosophy at the new Manchester café which will be located within Halle Square.

Alongside its famous coffee, Jamaica Blue offers a range of classic dishes “with a twist”, including wraps, bagels, oven baked dishes, cakes, and its famous all-day brunch options.

The arrival of Jamaica Blue further enhances Manchester Arndale’s food and beverage offering and follows the recent arrivals of Slim Chickens, Doner Shack, Creams, The Butcher at Urban Playground, Kokoro, Tim Hortons, Pizza Hut Express and the recent five-year lease renewal from Nandos.

Scott Linard, portfolio director at M&G Real Estate, commented: “It is great to welcome such an innovative and fast-growing chain like Jamaica Blue to Manchester Arndale. We place great importance in providing a strong food and beverage offer at Manchester Arndale and we want to ensure we provide the best choices for our shoppers and visitors.

“It is also pleasing that this letting to Jamaica Blue comes off the back of several exciting new food and drink arrivals at the centre alongside some significant retail and leisure lettings over the past 12 months.”

Josh Nixon, head of estates for Jamaica Blue UK, added: “Jamaica Blue’s foundations are built on two simple beliefs that guide us in everything that we do. Firstly, a belief in sourcing the very best coffee, and secondly, only using fresh, premium ingredients to deliver contemporary café dishes with a twist.

“We’re thrilled to be opening at Manchester Arndale on the November 10, and excited to share our high-quality coffee and delicious menu with Manchester’s foodies!”

Manchester Arndale welcomes over 42 million visitors in an average year. It boasts a line-up of more than 200 shops and restaurants, including international, national, and local brands. Metis Real Estate and Time Retail Partners are Manchester Arndale’s retained letting agents.

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily