Hip new coffee shop with indie music at its heart to open in Manchester’s ‘West Village’

Digital music company Ditto is to launch its first Manchester venture – a Ditto Coffee shop with indie music at its heart.

The Manchester cafe is set to open in May at Bruntwood’s Oxford Place, part of the ‘West Village’ community which wraps around from Portland Street through to Oxford Street.

Ditto Music, which has worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Chance The Rapper, intend to offer the next step for music discovery with Ditto Coffee by embracing the local creative community.

With its first shop already open in Liverpool, Ditto Coffee Manchester will be a creative hub for celebrating and promoting independent artists, giving them a brand new route to market.

With low key performance space for local artists; an in-store demo dropbox (for a chance to secure recording deals with Ditto or to headline their live events); and opportunities for musicians, promoters and independent labels to display and sell their merchandise and records in the shop, Ditto Coffee Manchester aims to support the city’s independent music community.

Ditto Coffee has been inspired by the Ditto Music creators’ journey whilst building the brand globally – with coffee always being a big part of it.

Matt Parsons, CEO of Ditto Music says: “While Ditto Music gave emerging musicians a digital route to market never before available, Ditto Coffee will put local, independent music on the high street.

“We believe coffee shops have a unique community spirit, and throughout our journey building Ditto into a global business, we’ve found them to be the perfect place for people to come together, share ideas and make new connections.

“It’s the next evolutionary step for music discovery and we’re particularly excited to be bringing this concept to Manchester – a city that has always lived and breathed music and particularly on Oxford Road, Manchester’s hub for innovation.

“This is our second Ditto Coffee location in an exciting roll out plan for us across the country.”

Ditto Coffee will serve up ethically sourced coffee roasted by Neighbourhood Coffee
in Liverpool, with freshly-baked homemade cakes and snacks including vegan and gluten-free options. The 800 sq ft venue will be “laid-back and versatile”, with performance space for emerging local artists.

All this will sit inside the historic Oxford Place building which is part of Bruntwood’s West Village neighbourhood on the junction of Portland Street and Oxford Street. The innovative development is created within four Victorian warehouses and is designed with like-minded, forward thinking start-ups and established SMEs in mind.

Andrea George, head of retail and leisure at Bruntwood, said: “This is an incredible new brand heading for Manchester, with only one other location in the UK right now.

“Music runs through Manchester’s heart and soul so it’s particularly exciting to be bringing this innovative new concept to the city. Ditto Coffee is offering something unique for music lovers, musicians and coffee lovers alike – all things which we have plenty of in Manchester.

“Oxford Place, part of our West Village neighbourhood, is the perfect spot for the venue. Just a stone’s throw from Circle Square and sitting right in the heart of the ‘innovation district’ on Oxford Road, it’s surrounded by music and culture.

“Ditto Coffee is a perfect addition to this neighbourhood and I can’t wait to see it flourish.”