Caravan to open Manchester site this summer

Caravan’s latest property, in Manchester’s upcoming creative district St John’s, will have 200 covers and feature two all-day dining rooms, two outside terraces, a bar, a private dining room with a sound system and turn table and a takeout coffee bar.

Reflecting the natural landscapes, wool sheds and hiking trail huts across New Zealand, the space itself will use recycled materials and organic finishes.

“We are so excited to be taking Caravan on the road to Manchester, but more importantly, we are really looking forward to spending more time in this incredible city,” said Caravan’s CEO and co-founder, Laura Harper-Hinton.

“We hope to attract a real cross-section of the city to our beautiful new restaurant & roastery.”

Caravan will also open its second roaster in the city, providing coffee beans and specialist training to coffee shops and restaurants in north England.

Mike Ingall CEO, and founder of property and investment company Allied London, added: “Bringing Caravan to our unique mix at St John’s was an obvious move for us and Caravan will be an operation I am sure Manchester will love – a place where people can come in the morning and stay all day and night.”

Harper Hinton, Chris Ammermann and Miles Kirby launched Caravan in 2010 with its first site in London's Exmouth Market. The team took on minority stake-hold private equity backing five years into the business, which supported the opening of Caravan's third site in Bankside. And the team launched a flagship site in Covent Garden late last year.

Hinton hinted at the Manchester opening at the Casual Dining Show in September, saying the company “really like the idea of doing more neighbourhood restaurants” and that the Covent Garden site would be the “last centrally located site for a while”.