Greater Manchester

Primark to open standalone Home store in Manchester

Primark has announced it will open its first standalone Home store in Great Britain this summer at Trafford Palazzo in Manchester. The 11,900 sq. ft, two-floor unit is set to launch later in the season and follows the debut of the Primark Home concept in Belfast earlier this year. It…

Read More »

Next suffers shareholder rebellion over pay transparency

Next’s shareholders have pushed back against what some deemed as a lack of transparency over its staff pay after more than a fifth backed a resolution calling for more information. The vote at the retailers AGM yesterday (Thursday 15 May) saw 26.9% of shareholder votes in support of a resolution…

Read More »

Puma to relocate UK HQ from London to Manchester

Puma is set to relocate its new UK HQ from London to Manchester, having agreed a 20,000 sq ft lease of workspace at the new Circle Square development. Located on the Oxford Road Corridor, Puma’s new HQ is in the £87m development being brought forward by Bruntwood SciTech – a…

Read More »

Dreams appoints Feather & Black GM amid expansion plans

Dreams has appointed Sarah Morgan as general manager of Feather and Black, Dreams’ luxury brand offering. Dreams acquired Feather and Black in July 2020, as part of its long-term strategy to strengthen its premium offering. Since then, it said the brand has played an important part in Dreams’ diversification. Moving…

Read More »

Today’s news in brief-1/4/25

Retailers are bracing for a £5.56bn rise in costs following the implementation of recent Budget measures, including higher National Insurance contributions and an increased minimum wage. According to Retail Economics, these changes will force businesses to absorb £1.76bn in profit losses while passing £1.72bn onto consumers through price hikes. Chancellor…

Read More »

Asda launches facial recognition trial in five stores

Asda has announced that it has begun trialling Live Facial Recognition in five of its stores in Greater Manchester. The supermarket is aiming to assess if this technology can be used to improve staff and customer safety in store. The technology is integrated into Asda’s existing CCTV network and works…

Read More »

M&S to invest £50m in North West stores

M&S has announced a £50m investment in stores across the North West of England for the year ahead, creating 300 jobs and 100,000 total new square footage across its store estate in the area. The investment is another step forward in M&S’s store renewal and rotation programme, focused on having…

Read More »

Campaign urges Next, M&S and JD Sports to pay real living wage

The likes of Axa and Scottish Widows are backing campaign group ShareAction in its effort to make major high street retailers such as Next, M&S and JD Sports increase their staff’s pay in line with a real living wage, The Guardian has reported.  News of this initiative comes as there’s…

Read More »

Today’s news in brief-4/2/25

Shein’s planned £50bn London IPO is under threat due to potential US tariff reforms and ongoing allegations of forced labor in its supply chain. Former President Donald Trump’s proposal to eliminate the ‘de minimis’ tax rule—which allows duty-free imports of small packages under $800 from China, Canada, and Mexico—could significantly…

Read More »

Aldi to create 1,600 new store roles

Aldi is set to create 1,600 new store roles this year as it aims to continue its significant investment across the UK. Britain’s fourth-largest supermarket, which currently has more than 1,050 stores, has plans to open even more across the UK as part of its £650m investment in Britain. Roles…

Read More »