High-end men’s fashion retailer END. Clothing has just opened a new store in Manchester, taking over the old Paperchase site with two stories of luxury streetwear, high end sneakers and sought-after labels from Japan.
The stationery retailer closed its doors here in 2020 after the company collapsed into administration, leaving its old home vacant. Now END. has moved in, and following extensive refurbishments, it opened to the public this weekend.
Gone is the old mezzanine and the reams of wrapping paper. In its place, the store now boasts triple-height ceilings and a monolithic pallete of premium marble, concrete, stainless steel, glass, mirror and maple.
Inside, shoppers canl find a range of high-end menswear brands including Carhartt, Moncler, Rick Owens, Gucci, Off-White and Balenciaga, with selections spread across two floors.
With a large footwear section offering everything from high end sneakers and casual boots to sliders and sandals to high-end accessories, clothing and lifestyle items, this is the place to get your winter fits.
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The ground floor houses END.’s contemporary menswear brands alongside a selection of sought-after Japanese labels. It will also feature an extensive lifestyle section alongside a ‘wellbeing space’ filled with premium skincare, fragrance and cosmetic products.
Upstairs, the first floor will house END.’s largest sneaker offering to date alongside a wide array of luxury, streetwear and skate labels, and a dedicated ‘launch zone’ events space.
The new opening is the first site in the north west for the brand, which already has two stores in Newcastle, one in Glasgow and another in London.
“Manchester has been high on our list for a long time.” Commented Parker Gundersen, CEO for END.
“We have a very strong community here already who have been asking us to build a physical store for many years.
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“When we finally found this building, we knew we had an amazing space that would allow us to create a concept that would match the high expectations of both our customers and brand partners.
“To finally see the finished product has been really thrilling for our team and I’m so proud of what they have achieved.”
In addition to the Manchester opening, END. will open its’ first dedicated Women’s concept in Newcastle later this month, followed by a ground-breaking new flagship in the heart of Milan at the end of the year.
Feature image – END. Clothing
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2024 Manchester Marathon raises £29 million for local economy and over £3.7m for charity
Danny Jones
Just under a fortnight on from the 2024 Manchester Marathon and the numbers are finally, with the annual race generating nearly £30 million for the local economy and raising over £3.7m for charity.
This year’s Adidas Manchester Marathon saw record numbers of runners and spectators as over 30,000 took part in the popular race, up by roughly 6,000 from 2023, and more than 125k turned up to line the streets of Greater Manchester.
As a result, these huge crowds spent upwards of £29.2 million at business around the city centre and around the 10 boroughs last weekend, serving as one of the most significant contributions to the local economy on the annual calendar.
Not only was this an approximately £8m increase on last year’s tally but, most importantly, a sizeable chunk of that went straight into both regional and national charities.
Beyond the boost to local vendors, the hospitality sector and retail businesses, over £3.7 million were allocated to charities such as Alzheimer’s Charity, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and The Christie.
Over £32,000 was also raised for the Trafford Active Fund, with £1 from every paid entry to the Adidas Manchester Marathon and Manchester Half donated directly to the initiative that benefits local sports clubs and organisations through Trafford Council.
Better still, with City of Trees selected as the chosen ‘Green Runner’ charity, the eco-friendly drive saw roughly 7% of participants opt out of receiving either a finisher t-shirt, medal or both.
The money saved in production goes towards maintaining woodlands and wildlife across Greater Manchester.
This year’s Manchester Marathon also helped produce some of the highest number of passengers on public transport in the city’s history, with a over 175,000 journeys made on Metrolink alone – the highest number of journeys ever recorded on a single day.
This was a 20% increaseon 2023’s race day (145k), spotlighting how the event continues to be more environmentally conscious as years go by.
With the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon confirmed to be taking place on Sunday, 27 April next year – and over 12,000 places already sold – the city can already look forward to reaping the economic and social benefits of hosting one of Europe’s largest, flattest, friendliest and most-loved marathons.
Featured Images — Adidas Manchester Marathon/The Manc Group
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Manchester firefighter surprises partner with proposal during new recruits parade
Danny Jones
We’re a sucker for a wholesome little video as we know you are, which is exactly why we thought of you lot when we came across this video of a newly graduated Manchester firefighter surprising his partner with a heartwarming proposal.
Just the kind of heartwarming that usually sets us off after a long week at work.
The clip shared by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) on Thursday, 25 April, shows Manc fireman James popping the question to his girlfriend sat unassumingly in the audience at a recent passing out ceremony.
Pass out ceremonies are when trainees go from recruits to fully qualified firefighters after completing their intensive operational training. It’s a long-standing tradition in the emergency services where friends and family gather to celebrate their achievements – it’s almost like it’s the perfect opportunity…
As you can see, since the graduates are usually the centre of attention, James couldn’t help but size his moment and instead of walking and lining up normally like everyone else, he decided to head straight over to his wife-to-be and get down on one knee.
You already know the rest.
Welling up immediately and barely able to remove her hands from her face, Melissa nods and says yes as the crowd cheers and the pair share a smooch.
Writing on social media, the GMFRS said: “We managed to capture a VERY special moment at our new recruits pass out parade today… Congratulations to James and Melissa!”, adding, “Certainly one way to start your new career”.
If we don’t see all the groomsmen dressed as firefighters on a random viral video sometime soon we’re going to be gutted.
All the best to the happy couple and if you’ve got any more lovely clips like this to send in so we can make ourselves cry (in a good way), you know what to do.