Underground Manchester trainer consignment store Sneaker 63 has made headlines around the world this morning after sharing a ‘first world look’ at the latest pair of rare Nike Air Jordans ahead of their official release.
The first shop in the world to show the brand new Air Jordan 2 Low x Two 18 collab, thanks to the ‘leak’ the hidden Chinatown trainer store has blown up across the globe overnight – getting media coverage from sneaker fans in America, Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong.
The store is known for getting its hands on super-rare pairs of trainers and is full to the brim with elite and exclusive designs, some of which sell for as much as £6,000.
Image: Sneaker 63
And whilst they tell us that these new Aid Jordan 2s are more likely to go for around the £200 mark, the prestige of having the shoe first is worth way more than the shoe’s retail value.
Speaking to The Manc, they described getting their hands on these extremely rare Jordans first as being like ‘looking [for] and finding a rare or unseen Pokemon.’
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Created by Detroit sneaker retailer Two 18 in collaboration with Jordan, the shoes feature a full suede build with tonal browns covering the upper and leather liner with subtle red and blue paneling.
The soles feature Two 18 branding, whilst the tongue is dressed in the usual Wings logo.
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Owner Jack Chen has some great connections in the sneaker world, cultivated through meets and events he goes to, and is helping to put Manchester on the map for sneakerheads.
It certainly seems to have worked. Since opening the store in Chinatown in 2019, Manchester has welcomed the arrival of quite a few more shops in Sneaker63’s image – Kershkicks, Kick Game, and Crespslocker, to be precise.
Image: Sneaker 63
Jordan has made the Air Jordan 2s a priority for this year, and whilst Sneaker 63 tell us the UK ‘isn’t ready for Jordan 2 at the moment’ that hasn’t stopped them from getting ahead of the curb and debuting the new shoe collab.
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Since sharing the post yesterday, the store has featured on the front pages of some of the world’s best sneaker pages – including Nice Kicks and the Japanese page Up to Date, both followed by big-name sneakerheads and rappers like Michael Jordan’s son Marcus Jordan, Pigeon SB dunk designer Jeff Staple, and rappers Mayor and PJ Tucker.
Other rare pairs the store has stocked in recent years include players’ edition shoes made for the Oregon basketball team; a limited, executive-level ‘friends and family’ release of Para’s Nike Airmax 1 collab; Chinese New Year custom Jordans 1’s (one of just 50 pairs in the world); and a leaked early pair of the Travis Scott x Jordan collaboration.
Whilst Jordan Brand and Two 18 are yet to officially comment on this collaboration, it’s exciting to see an independent Manchester store putting the city on the map in such a big way.
Feature image – Sneaker 63
News
New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.
The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.
Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.
The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.
A new £60m fund has been launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester / Credit: TfGM
Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.
The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:
Bolton: £6,552,000
Bury: £4,374,000
Manchester: £8,155,000
Oldham: £5,258,000
Rochdale: £5,243,000
Salford: £5,388,000
Stockport: £6,820,000
Tameside: £4,980,000
Trafford: £4,992,000
Wigan: £8,241,000
The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.
“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.
“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Six GMP officers dismissed following racial discrimination allegations
Emily Sergeant
A number of police officers have been dismissed following an internal investigation, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.
Following the internal investigation into alleged racial discrimination against an officer on the Bury district – which was launched by GMP‘s Professional Standards Directorate in July 2024 – six officers and two former officers were found to have committed gross misconduct, and a ninth officer was found to have committed misconduct.
The investigation came after a report was made that an officer had been subjected to ‘racist behaviour’ by colleagues in December 2023.
The panel heard how PC Y – who has African heritage and has been granted anonymity – made a complaint after her accent was mimicked by a group of officers. She was also compared to a suspect with similar skin colour, and one of the dismissed PCs made a derogatory comment about her hair.
PC Y was supported and kept updated throughout the investigation, GMP assured, as well as providing evidence at the hearing.
The misconduct hearing lasted just over two weeks, with the panel concluding that the officers breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to Equality and Diversity, Authority, Respect, and Courtesy.
The six officers who have been dismissed are PC Demi Green, PC Heena Rani, PC Lucy Granby, PC Matthew Barlow, PC Matthew Hill, and PC Mohammed Abid, while the former officers who were found to have committed gross misconduct are PC Jake Holt, and former Officer A – who has been granted anonymity.
The panel also found that Sergeant Adrian Bick’s actions amounted to misconduct, as there was no breach of the standard of equality and diversity.
As a result, the six serving officers have been sacked without notice, while the two former officers would have been dismissed had they not already left the force, and Sergeant Bick was issued a written warning.
“No officer or member of staff should have to come to work and experience discriminatory behaviour from the people they serve alongside,” declared Deputy Chief Constable, Terry Woods.
“Everyone has the right to feel respected, valued and part of the same team with a shared commitment to serving our communities and keeping people safe.”
Georgina Pellant -
5th July 2022 
