There’s a new spot to meet, make and mull things over in Sheffield city centre. Discovery, the flagship venue from homegrown hospitality brand Scrannery, has opened its doors at Pennine Five – right along the city’s fast-evolving Innovation Spine.
Set within Block 4 near Tenter Street, Discovery is pitched as more than your standard city centre café spot. It’s a hybrid space designed to flex with the rhythms of the area – part coffee stop, part workspace, part event venue – serving the growing mix of businesses, students and residents who now call this stretch of the city their daily orbit.
Inside, the layout is built around three distinct zones. The Snug offers a tucked-away setting for one-to-one meetings. The Studio caters for workshops and talks, while The Floor opens up for larger gatherings and events. A weekday café service keeps things ticking over niceley, with later openings from Wednesday to Friday for after-work conversations and drinks.
For Scrannery, which already runs several cafés across the region, this marks a step up in scale and ambition. Discovery has been conceived as a response to Pennine Five’s changing landscape – a place where office life, nearby residential living and public space overlap more than ever.
Distinctive artwork by Sheffield artist Jo Peel runs through the venue, anchoring it firmly in its surroundings. Known for her distinctive line work and large-scale murals, Peel captures urban environments in flux. Here, her pared-back architectural forms and blocks of colour mirror the shifting identity of the Innovation Spine itself – a city in mid-transformation, sketched in real time.
Dave King, Scrannery co-founder and managing director of Differentis, sees Discovery as a natural fit for the area’s momentum. “Pennine Five is quickly becoming a focal point for businesses in this part of the city. We saw an opportunity to create a space that supports that community – somewhere people can meet properly, work comfortably and spend time without feeling rushed.
“Being based here ourselves, we understand how people use the campus day to day, and Discovery has been shaped around that.”
That sense of local grounding runs through the project. Co-founder Kieran Morgan-McGeehan adds: “Scrannery has always been rooted in Sheffield, and opening at Pennine Five felt like a natural next step for us. Discovery carries the same approach we apply across our cafés – good food, proper coffee and considered spaces – but on a larger scale.
“We’re pleased to be contributing to a development that is bringing more activity back into this part of the city centre.”
It’s not just about coffee and co-working. Christina Staniforth, campus manager at RBH, is already eyeing up a busy calendar. “We are delighted to have the new cafe bar open on the plaza. The space has been designed to enhance amenities on-site for tenants, but also to bring more people into the campus to enjoy our evergreen space.
“We're really looking forward to seeing a wide range of events this year, from AI workshops, business networking, summer BBQs and even a board game evening. If you want great coffee, freshly baked pastries, nutritious lunches or an after-work drink on the plaza, come and discover Discovery.”
The opening follows earlier plans for a café-bar at the heart of the development, with outdoor seating set to spill into the courtyard as warmer months roll in.
Find out more or book a space at discovery.scrannery.uk
