Fitness-first eaterie Bosu Body Bar has closed its city centre site to focus on its online operations.
The brand, which was launched by personal trainers and a ballet teacher, specialises in post-workout meals.
It was originally founded as a Chorlton cafe before opening a branch on Cross Street in the city centre in September 2017 selling protein boxes, burritos and lean burgers, along with smoothies and juices.
But after two years on the high street, the company has decided to focus its entire operation on its nationwide chilled delivery service and expanding its online meal prep offering via its website.
Their sought after protein boxes have made them a huge success with a fan base that includes Manchester United stars Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini as well as members of Team GB and Strictly Come Dancing’s Gorka Marquez and Diane Buswell.
Bosu’s founder and creative director Oli Drummond said: “We’re excited to continue the growth of Bosu online, and although we’ll be sad to leave Cross Street behind us it’s important to remember it’s served us well in growing our brand name and reaching a larger customer base.
“The Bosu restaurants have allowed us to get to know what our customers want, build up their trust in our product and gain a loyal following. We arrive at this point with a meal prep product we believe to be one of the best on the market.”
He continued: “Focusing solely online will now allow us to pay more attention to our customers and develop our products further. In return this should result in greater customer satisfaction and increased retention rates.
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“With the health and fitness market continuously growing and so much emphasis on what we put in our bodies, we plan to now focus on reaching an even wider audience online and demonstrating why Bosu has always been such a hit and the ‘go to’ when it comes to healthy eating.
“We have a product we’re extremely proud of and the coming months really excite us.”
Oli believes demand for healthy food-to-go is spreading from the health fitness market and becoming a popular choice for anyone looking for an easy, healthy lunch option - from city centre workers to parents out shopping with their kids.
But, he says consumers are becoming more discerning and want more choice.
“The health and fitness market is where our core offering of healthy meal-plans gained traction, but we’re seeing new opportunities all the time.
"You don’t need to be hitting the gym every day or counting nutrient macros to enjoy the benefits of a fresh, healthy meal-prep service.
“Over the past year, we’ve noticed a growing number of customers who just want a convenient lunch option to eat at work, rather than a specific meal-plan to support their health and fitness goals. Being online means we can offer more choice to that market too.”
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Oli says Bosu plan to meet their existing city centre demand by offering group lunch delivery and office catering options, something they can do better via the online delivery model than with a traditional bricks and mortar store.
The Bosu team, including fellow directors Josef Faddoul and Sarah Jane Beck will be on-site until Tuesday (June 11) fulfilling online orders, before moving to a new commercial kitchen outside of the city centre.