Great Northern
Market.

A sense of Manchester, engineered for the realities of Terminal 2.

The opportunity

Manchester Airport wanted a first-of-its-kind airside street-food market hall, and ran a competitive tender for it. The problem was familiar to any airport operator: terminal food is a captive-audience category that rarely reflects the city it sits in, and rarely gives passengers a reason to choose it beyond proximity.

The mandate

Great Northern Market was created by Airport Retail Enterprises with Dominic Cools-Lartigue. Studio Mazaar led the concept, the name, the tender and the creative direction, then stayed with the project through the food and operating model into delivery.

The strategic idea

Make it read as Manchester, not as an airport’s idea of Manchester. The name anchors the destination in Manchester’s northern identity and its long tradition of markets, industry and movement. The design picks up the brickwork and steel of the Northern Quarter rather than the off-the-shelf “industrial-warm” of airport food and beverage almost everywhere. The same intent runs through the food offer, so the market feels like part of the city rather than a departure lounge.

The constraints

A lot of food halls get sold as a concept and then collapse under operations. The economics work because the unit model is tighter than full-service restaurants; the failures happen because multiple kitchens depend on shared service, deliveries, waste and front-of-house. Add airport conditions: security, throughput, tight delivery windows, passengers working to a departure time. The margin for error narrows again.

Three levels of back-of-house were resolved early in design, before the design language was settled, so the kitchens could run simultaneously without service collapsing on itself. The operational answer is what allows the brand answer to stay intact under load.

Scale and outcome

Great Northern Market opened to the public on 3 February 2026: six kitchens plus Gooey, a central bar and a communal dining environment seating more than 470. It gives operators a national-scale stage in front of Terminal 2’s departing passengers, and gives the airport a destination rather than a queue.

Press

• The Manc · Huge food hall, luxury shops and more set to open at Manchester Airport → 19 September 2024

“From the design direction to the food lineup, Dom brought a vision to Great Northern Market that genuinely captured the spirit of Manchester. His work pushed the project into new territory for airport hospitality, blending cultural identity with a compelling commercial strategy. A rare ability to turn place, people and food into a coherent, inspiring destination.”