Popular bakery to rival Greggs announces plans to open second Manchester site

A popular Manchester bakery has announced plans to open a second branch. Half Dozen Other, the bakery arm of Pot Kettle Black will be opening its next site in December.

Their new spot, which promises 'classic bakes' and 'modern takes' will open at the Circle Square Development on Oxford Road in December. It joins a number of independent restaurants, bars and cafes including The Tap House, Onda, Detroit Slims and Federal at the development.

It follows on from the opening of their first bakery last summer in the Red Bank District of Manchester. The new spot will serve up coffee, pastry and bread seven days a week from 7am with late openings on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

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Co-owner Jon Wilkin commented: “We're obsessed with creating things that didn't exist yesterday. Our bakers are already working their magic while Manchester's bars are still thumping, committing to a mind-bending graft against the clock to ensure your morning toast is worth getting out of bed for.

"Some people count sheep to fall asleep, we count pastries to stay awake. It's our obsession, an obsession that's growing. Speaking of growth, we’re pretty chuffed to be opening a bakery shop in Circle Square on Oxford Road. Come at us!”

Inside, it will house a pastry room, kitchen and café. Products will arrive every morning freshly baked from the Red Bank site before being hand finished in the pastry room visible via a window which customers can catch a glimpse of whilst waiting for their coffees and bakes.

The new site will also offer an extended menu of sandwiches and hot savoury items, all created by head baker Mark Wegner, the man responsible for Half Dozen Other’s showstopping monthly menus. Responding to news of the opening at Circle Square, Mark commented: "It’s opposite Gregg's. The exact opposite”.

To mark the new opening, Half Dozen Other have also teamed up with Ozone coffee to offer £1 coffees every day throughout December.

Charlotte Wild, Head of Retail & Leisure at Bruntwood SciTech commented: "We’re thrilled to be welcoming Half Dozen Other to the Circle Square community. This is a brand founded on passion, craft and innovation and one we know will thrive within our vibrant neighbourhood, which is fast becoming a city centre hot spot for hospitality innovators.

"As well as freshly baked artisan treats we are excited to be bringing a new artisan bakery to Circle Square and we can’t wait to see what the team create at their new home."

Half Dozen Other opened opposite a railway arch in the Red Bank area of Manchester back in July 2023. The huge, 5,000 sq ft warehouse space featuring a pop-up cafe counter and glass-fronted pastry room where customers can watch bakers in action while grabbing baked treats.

Pot Kettle Black, the popular specialty coffee and brunch spot, was first launched by rugby league stars Jon Wilkin and Mark Flanagan in Barton Arcade in 2014 after Mark took a trip to Sydney and came back with the idea of opening an Australian-style coffee shop in Manchester.

During the pandemic, after being inundated with wholesale requests, they decided to split the business off and create Half Dozen Other - and have grown from a small bakery facility to a full-scale warehouse operation in just a few years.

Frequent visitors will know PKB for its experimental baked goods including blueberry cheesecake croissants and gianduja cookies, but Half Dozen will be also serves up signature bakes including cinnamon buns and pain au chocolat, alongside exclusive pastries including mocha croissants and pistachio cardamom chocolate tarts.