Stretford was rocked by the loss of another business after the foodhall revealed its closure at The Mall.

Store Group owner Mital Morar revealed the closure in a post on social media on Friday (February 2).

Opened four and a half years ago, Stretford Foodhall features a dining and drinking area with rotation of independent eateries and a shop. 

It follows in the footsteps of its sister Sale Foodhall, at Stanley Square, which closed last year after less than a year and a half in business.

The loss of this business comes after the loss of The Hive, a bar on the same stretch of road, last month.

Mr Morar said the cause of the closure was a mixture of the coronavirus crisis and the cost of living crisis.

Mr Morar said: "We are conscious of the current environment and we tried our best with all the headwinds to make a go of it for the greater good. 

"We are grateful for the support from our customers, our relationships with suppliers and traders. We appreciate Bruntwood who helped where they could and we have no doubt their vision will deliver the goods. Sadly, our part in this journey cannot continue."

The Mall is under development with the work on King Street and Kingsway already underway and in line for completion this year.

The work on another phase, including the work on up to 800 homes, is in the pipeline as the developer awaits planning permission.

A statement by Bruntwood and Trafford Council said: "It is a difficult time for many hospitality businesses with unprecedented pressures sadly leading to closures across the country.

"We have been working hard to support the Stretford Foodhall team throughout a challenging time for their business and we are very sad to see the venue close - the foodhall has been a central part of the Stretford community and it will be missed.

"We wish Mital and his team every success with the next part of their journey.

"We are currently reviewing a range of options for the site and will update with news on that soon.”

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.