OXFORD Road's Odder bar, part of the Odd group that includes Odd bar, Oddest bar and The Blue Pig, has announced that it will not reopen for the impending student year.
The bar will make way for a multinational coffeehouse.
"When the offer came along it seemed like the right time and we couldn't refuse. I do feel slightly guilty selling to yet another coffeehouse but this offer will allow us to carry out some new and exciting plans for the brand."
Odder, opened in 2006 along Manchester's Southern Gateway (or 'Knowledge Corridor', urgh), has been faithfully servicing the student contingent for the best part of a decade, offering reasonably priced drinks and grub alongside lively gigs, quiz and club nights.
Odder
In recent years, the Oxford Road bar has been home to popular club nights such as Murkage, Pop Bubble Rock, Overproof, Revolver, Chow Down and More Bounce, welcomed special guests including Foals, Raekwon, Fantastic Mr Fox and Jaques Greene, and hosted after-parties for the likes of Jurrasic 5, Wu Tang Clan, Pharcyde and Kendrick Lamar.
Owner Cleo Farman told Confidential that although Odder wasn't struggling and she felt 'a bit guilty' about selling to a multinational coffeehouse, she'd received an offer that would allow the group to march on with new plans:
"The bar was actually doing alright," said Farman. "It is difficult down there, the area has changed and the student pound has become harder to get hold of. We made changes, putting on more gigs and DJs, and that worked but the bar was creeping away from what I wanted it to be.
"When the offer came along it seemed like the right time and we couldn't refuse. I do feel slightly guilty selling to a coffeehouse but this offer will allow us to carry out some new and exciting plans for the brand."
Owner Cleo Farman
Farman intends to refurbish all three of her other units, expand and rebrand Northern Quarter's Blue Pig and put in place plans for something completely new.
"We're refurbing all the units and completely renovating the interior and exterior of Oddest in Chorlton," said Farman. "We've been looking at expanding Blue Pig for some time now. We want to open out the basement to create a larger bar and event space.
"I've also got something completely new in the pipeline, turning something that isn't a bar into a bar. I've got to keep my cards close to my chest on that one."
Both Odd Bar and The Blue Pig will feature at next month's Manchester Food and Drink Festival.
Blue Pig, Northern Quarter
