Trading Route at St John's shuts with immediate effect
The beer hall and rotisserie by the Trof, Manchester Union and Wandering Palate teams blames rising costs, stagnant footfall and a still-building neighbourhood.
Trading Route on Goods Yard Street in Manchester's St John's district has closed with immediate effect, the Manchester Evening News reports. The beer hall and rotisserie opened in late 2024 as a flagship for the development near Spinningfields, next to Caravan and across from Aviva Studios.
It was set up by the teams behind Trof, Manchester Union Brewery and Monton favourite Wandering Palate, with continental-style lager in Tübinger glasses and whole chickens carved from a purpose-built rotisserie.
Why it closed In an Instagram post the operators pointed to rising costs and stagnant footfall, saying the past three months had been especially hard. They spent their first year trading amid ongoing construction in an area still described as up-and-coming, and said growth as the only independent in the pocket had not come fast enough.
They apologised to the team and urged people to back other independents, including signing a petition for hospitality VAT at 10%.
St John's still has Fenix, Caravan and Courts Club nearby. For anyone who used Trading Route as a pre-show pint and roast chicken stop before Aviva Studios, that option is gone overnight.
Source: Manchester Evening News (opens in a new tab)
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