Vagabond eyes Manchester for new site in 2026

Vagabond plans to open a new wine bar in Manchester in the first half of 2026, The Caterer has learned.

The opening will be the second site for the group outside London, and is part of its plans to double the size of its estate over the next five years, including opening more regional sites.

Vagabond currently has 11 London locations and one in Birmingham.

A twelfth site is due to open in London’s Canada Water on 4 December. The 6,000 sq ft space will house the UK’s largest urban winery, which will quadruple Vagabond’s English wine output, raising production capacity to roughly 100,000 bottles a year.

The Canada Water site is housed on the ground floor of the mixed-use Dock Shed development and will feature a working 100-tonne winery with a central concrete egg fermenter, a tasting room, Vagabond bar and multiple event and private hire spaces.

Speaking to The Caterer about the ambitions for the business, managing director Christobell Giles, said: “From a statistical perspective we’re looking to double the estate in the next five years. But from a more heartfelt perspective, the thing about this business is that it’s so unique and it feels like it’s deserving of better scale.”

Vagabond opened its first bar in London’s Fulham in 2010. In 2024 Majestic Wine paid £6.5m to acquire the business out of administration marking the wine retailer’s first foray into hospitality.

• Read The Caterer’s full interview with Giles tomorrow.