Asda is to open a ‘£3m’ Express store in the tower where tenants pay £935 a month to share kitchens

Asda is to open a store inside Manchester’s newest co-living tower.

The supermarket is to open one of its Express stores at the base of Manchester Square Gardens, a £450m development between First Street and Mancunian Way. Home to several skyscrapers, including the 45-story Acer Tower, it will house thousands of people, including 555 students.

Asda’s ‘£2.5m to £3m’ bid to open a corner shop daily from 7am to 11pm has been approved by Manchester City Council at a short licensing hearing Monday (May 13). Only one objection was received, from a nearby licence.

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“Having considered the written objection,” concluded committee chairman Cllr Paul Andrews, “we have decided that Asda is a suitable applicant and that you will meet the licensing objectives and we will grant it as applied for.”

The Square Gardens project broke ground last December, and now it seems to be getting closer to reality. Alongside Asda’s arrival, developers Downing have released prices for its housing options.

A one-bedroom flat costs £2,120 a month, with studios starting at £1,540 but going up to £1,845 a month. To get a room in the co-living section of the development, where residents will share facilities in a similar way to university halls, prices start from £935 per month for an en-suite room, which average 145 sq m ft.

It’s not the only co-living development in the city, with Union having recently opened in the St John’s area of ​​the city.