A town unsure of its future... and what it really wants

It's a gorgeous mid-September day. The sun is blazing sunshine and the sky is clear. Stanley Square in Sale could give any European piazza a run for its money.

Every café and restaurant has its doors open. Nearly all the outdoor tables are full, with people sipping coffees and chatting. The vibe is almost Mediterranean.

As we prepare for the colder months, people are making the most of the final few sunny spells of the year, chatting with friends and enjoying a bite to eat.

READ MORE: Last branch of Simon Rimmer's Greens restaurant announces 'heartbreaking' closure

But it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. A day earlier, foodies in this part of Greater Manchester were rocked by the announcement Simon Rimmer's restaurant Greens, which opened on the square in 2021, was shutting. The news came just eight months after the shock closure of the original Greens vegetarian restaurant in West Didsbury.

It also follows a spate of closures in the Sale, with Draft Craft Bar and Sale Food Hall shutting their doors in 2023 - followed by Rigatoni's restaurant in April. At the beginning of September, greengrocers Ashby's also announced it wouldn't be renewing its lease. On September 19, the beauty supply shop Sally Beauty (incidentally, three units down from Greens) shared the news that it would be closing in October.

It's fair to say the future of the area is unclear. Some want a return to the 'old high street'. Others welcome doing things differently.

When the Manchester Evening News visited this week, the thoroughfare was busy. Passers-by stopping to peer into Greens. Carol and Allison were looking at the menu when they spotted the closure notice. Like many, they were gutted. They had visited a couple of times and loved the food.

Carol, who lives in Sale, says many places seem to be doing well in the area. "Greens was a bit expensive though," she adds. "Like twenty quid for a few small plates."

"And it was a big space as well, a big double unit," Alison chips in. "I've been past a few times and it looked a bit quiet. Next door [Portuguese tapas restaurant Petisco] is half the size and they're doing really well. You have to book in advance to get a table."

Inside the covered shopping centre, function space Hiya is displaying the entries of the annual Sale Photography Competition. On the opposite wall is a small exhibition of the series Sale at Work, profiling locals and business owners.

Pat Stewart, who has lived in the town for more than 50 years, is admiring the photos with her son Paul. She says she liked the area, often walking in along the canal just to have a coffee in the square.

"My main complaint is the removal of the overhead coverings," she adds. "You used to be able to walk about without getting wet when it rained – now I think the area does struggle a bit on wet days."

Her son Paul, who hasn't lived in Manchester since he was 18, says he had seen Sale change drastically since he left - 'very much for the better.'

"We've seen it go from charity shops and betting shops to independent businesses, bars and cafes, which is really nice. Even units like this one... they could be boarded up but instead they're a dedicated community space."

Also admiring the entries is Natalie, who works in the town. "I think Sale is amazing, I love all the independents," she says. "But I don't know what their future will be. It's really hard to be independent at the moment."

"We've all seen Stretford food hall close down – and that was run by a big corporation. I don't know if the ones here will survive without going more corporate."

Two women sitting chatting on the edge of the square offer their blunt assessment of the square: "We don't like it."

"They need more actual shops, like clothes shops, and Wilko," one says. "I used to be able to get everything I needed from there. It was a real loss when that closed."

"I think rents are getting more expensive in Sale and that's pushing a lot of people out," her friend adds. "The place is changing, but I suppose you've got to move with the times."

Nearby, Terrance agrees. He has lived on the nearby Racecourse Estate since 1992. "To be honest, Sale has changed since I've lived here, and not for the better," he tells the Manchester Evening News.

"There used to be a Wilko's, a FarmFoods, a Santander – they've all gone, and restaurants have opened, they've taken over this square. But we need shops as well."

The 68-year old hasn't been to any of the restaurants. He says he misses the days when he could do all his shopping in the town centre rather than having to go further afield.

"It doesn't compute with me why they've had to shut down all the shops which were making money," he adds. "They were cheaper than the supermarkets, and people liked going in there"

Phil Dale is waiting for his wife to get her nails done. He isn't happy with the way things are going either.

"Which idiot thought it was a good idea to take all the coverings down?," he says. "We live in [Greater] Manchester. It rains a lot. I just don't get the thinking behind it."

Like Terrance, he wishes Sale would go back to the way it was - 'cheap shops that you wanted to go to'. "But they've kicked them out, because they want something posh there," he adds.

"It's all just overpriced food places now – apart from Jenny's café. I'm sure [they] want that gone because it's a bit downmarket."

"By all means, spend some money painting the place and getting some new benches. Sale needed doing up. But they didn't need to spend so much money taking the coverings down."

His wife Linda emerges from the salon, her nails a dazzling display of blue, yellow and green. "I think there's too many food places now, for the amount of people who can't afford it," she says.

"I don’t feel there's anything for shopping now. Like a reasonably priced clothes shop – I have to go elsewhere for that now."

"And while you're there, at Asda for example, you do the rest of your shopping. There's better prices there but it's taking away from Sale. Everything seems so expensive here now."

They say the square is now primarily suited to young people and DINKs - couples with a double income and no kids. They say the cinema set to open in 2025 might boost the area, but aren't hopeful about the prices.

Abby, the owner of Ashby's grocers, agrees the area is saturated with eateries. Her business selling organic produce and takeaway lunches opened in January 2022 – but when the lease runs out in early 2025, she won't be renewing.

"We were promised that this square would be a return of the old high street, but there's no deli, no butchers or fishmongers," she says. "I think management had the right intentions, but all they got were hospitality businesses."

"So people come to us to get their veg, but there's nowhere else for them to go for everything else. It's just shop, café, restaurant. There's not much parking either and groceries are heavy. You're competing with the convenience of Tesco click and collect."

She says the management team and landlords had been 'lovely' and offered help when she announced she was selling up, but thought there was something of a mismatch between the square and its demographic.

"A lot of the places here are more high end, but Sale is such a mixed bag of people," she said. "It's almost like there's a divide. You go outside, and it's such a different clientele... some aren't likely to come in here."

Abby says she was surprised at the news Greens was closing. "I know the agents and landlords and if Simon [Rimmer] had asked them for help, they would have," she adds. I just think there's too many food places and not enough people to fill them."

She plans to train as a teaching assistant after handing over the keys to her unit. "Running a business has been really hard and stressful," she adds. "I've always wanted to try it, but I'd never do it again."

A Trafford council spokesperson said: "Trafford Council welcomes the significant private investment over recent years into Stanley Square by the site owners. We think this has helped improve and boost the profile Sale town centre as a popular shopping and food and drink destination. This has largely been received positively by residents but as with all such projects people will hold different views."

"All Trafford’s town centres have faced huge challenges over recent years as many household name retailers have reduced their presence or withdrawn from the high street. With large supermarket chains in Sale town centre and online shopping becoming more popular, people’s shopping habits have changed over many years. That presents a real challenge for town centre managers and the investment we have seen into Stanley Square has sought to respond to that.”

"We know that many families and businesses are struggling with increasing costs. Locally support and advice is available to both residents and businesses who are finding times tough. We appreciate that the Stanley Square management proactively engages in supporting community activity in Sale town centre.

"We are confident that Stanley Square will continue its journey of renewal and will work positively with them to support that and wider efforts to invest into Sale town centre."

Michael Brown, director of Altered Space, the developer that owns Stanley Square, said: "We are sorry to see the recent closure of Greens, who were a valued tenant at Stanley Square. We are extremely proud of the neighbourhood that the residents of Sale have worked with us to build. Therefore, we understand the impact that losing a beloved local business can have on the community.

"Prior to commencing our refurbishment works in 2020, we carried out an extensive public engagement exercise which has led to continuous high demand for unit tenancy. Stanley Square is now home to a diverse mix of 52 tenants; 14 food and beverage outlets, alongside much loved High Street staples, retail and leisure offerings, with a new boutique cinema to open in 2025.

"Having welcomed 30 new tenants, created over 200 local jobs, and provided childcare facilities to more than 100 families in the past four years, we continue to strive for an offering that the residents of Sale can enjoy and be proud of."

"Our ongoing investment in the modernisation of our multi-story carpark will improve accessibility to the Square’s many local businesses whilst the recent opening of a public walkway is aimed at encouraging further pedestrian footfall into the town centre.

"At Stanley Square we always welcome and facilitate feedback from the local community and look forward to delivering more exciting new tenants in the coming months."