The Eccles tapas cafe, Ajo, currently occupies the premises on Church Road but has once again changed hands.

Eccles tapas cafe, ‘Ajo’, on Church Road, has been sold for an eighth time in the past decade.

The business traded as ‘The Honest Crust Deli’ in 2009, then ‘The Deli on Church Street’ in 2012.

After that, the business became ‘Cafe Vintage’ and later its current incarnation ‘Ajo’.

In the short term, Ajo will continue to trade as it is, offering a Spanish tapas menu and local favourites, like the Eccles cake.

The new management will look to make menu changes and a name change in the future.

The Eccles tapas cafe is on the high street, a couple of minutes walk from Eccles’ train station, bus interchange and tram stop.

Property hot spot of 2020

According to the property website Rightmove, Eccles’ has the fastest rising house prices than anywhere else in Britain.

The average price in the area has shot up by 16% since the beginning of last year.

The typical property is now worth around £213,706 compared with £184,299 at this time, 12 months ago.

This is thanks in part to Eccles’ locality and transport links to MediaCityUK in nearby Salford Quays. 

Local resident Sarah White said that she didn’t think that prices in Eccles itself would be up 16%, but areas such as Monton would be the most sought after for living in: “It’s become quite an established; kind of prestigious area.”

What this means

The Manchester suburb’s newfound popularity may help the new management at Ajo to make a greater success of the business.

Its location is difficult to miss when walking down the high street, but the waning favour towards the typical high street meant that, despite its prominent position, it might not be so easy to discover.

However, with an influx of independent businesses filling the high street, rather than the usual chains you would expect to find, there is now more potential for Ajo.

More young people have moved to the area due to its close proximity to MediaCity. 

It is, generally, more likely that younger people will shop with or dine at an independent business, drumming up more custom for the likes of Ajo.

Ajo is open Tuesday – Saturday  09:00 – 15:00, Sundays from 10:00 – 16:00; closed on Mondays.

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