Manchester is finally ready to welcome its first-ever Sephora store as the cult beauty retailer heads north.
The huge shop, which officially opens tomorrow at the Trafford Centre, is stuffed full of luxury skincare, haircare and makeup, including several brands that are usually hard to find in the UK.
There are exclusive-to-Sephora brands in store like Makeup by Mario, Haus Labs by Lady Gaga, Topicals, and their own Sephora Collection range of affordable beauty items.
Plus it’s a chance to browse hit names like Glossier, famed for their liquid blushes and ‘Boy Brow’ gels, in person.
Selena Gomez’s Rare beauty, loved by people of all ages for its ‘clean girl’ aesthetic, is also available to shop inside the new Sephora.
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As for skincare, you’ll find Drunk Elephant, The Ordinary, Sol de Janeiro, Supergoop, Sunday Riley, Paula’s Choice, Mario Badescu and loads more.
Inside the huge Sephora ManchesterThe beauty hub in the heart of Sephora ManchesterSephora’s cult favourite minis
That’s all alongside classic make-up names like Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Lancome, and Benefit.
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There’s also a huge range of fragrance for men and women.
One of Sephora’s most popular features is its minis – tiny versions of some of its best-sellers for those who are a little indecisive, frequent fliers, or don’t want to splurge on a full-sized new product.
And as for haircare, alongside rows and rows of shampoos, conditioners and styling products, are electronic brands like Dyson, Shark and GHD.
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In the heart of the huge new Trafford Centre Sephora is a beauty studio, offering makeovers and skincare including a Manchester exclusive with Grown Alchemist.
If you’re totally overwhelmed by the choices on offer, there are several edits of products arranged around the shop, grouped by concern – so a whole display of the best lip products, another for eyes, and so on.
An Eyes ‘must-haves’ editThe OrdinaryRare Beauty
It’s only the third Sephora to open in the entire country, with the other two both based in London.
Sephora fever seems to have fully gripped the Trafford Centre, which has plastered black and white decor everywhere in celebration of the new arrival.
There’s even a monochrome striped staircase leading to the new store, banners outside, and huge posters hanging from the shopping centre’s ceilings.
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And it’s only going to get bigger after today – to celebrate its launch, 500 goodie bags will be given away to the first people in the queue on Sephora’s official launch day, Thursday 16 May.
Claire’s is closing down stores in the UK and Ireland with more than 1,300 jobs set to be lost
Danny Jones
In another hit to domestic shoppers, Claire’s Accessories is closing down en masse across the UK and Ireland after entering into administration once again.
Falling into an unfortunate financial status for the second time in less than a year, Claire’s will be shutting down all of their standalone stores across Britain, along with their IE branches.
A total of 154 stores will soon disappear, with more than a thousand people set to be put out of work.
Once a mainstay of British high streets up and down the country, the accessory shop known for all things jewellery, piercings and more has ceased trading effective immediately.
Announced at the start of the week and the end of the first full month of Q2, it was confirmed that Claire’s closed their final locations on Monday, 27 April.
With administrators, Kroll, appointed to wrap up business proceedings, an estimated 1,300 English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh workers have now lost their jobs.
Founded way back in 1961 over in the United States, Claire’s has operated across the Atlantic for more than three decades.
However, with various other contemporaries and cheaper online options having appeared over the years, they’ve struggled not just to remain profitable but to compete full stop.
They most recently filed for bankruptcy in the US this past August (2025), with their Belgian, Spanish, and Dutch divisions having already called it quits.
Manchester location(s) have changed a lot over time, but now they’re on the way out (Credit: Arndale)
For many, the outcome isn’t all that surprising, but it will nevertheless be a sad loss for many who have seen multiple generations visit these venues over the years.
Discount flights from Manchester up for grabs as easyJet’s ‘Big Orange Sale’ returns for 2026
Danny Jones
Get ready to book in some annual leave, because easyJet’s ‘Big Orange Sale’ is BACK for 2026, with cheap flights from Manchester and more up for grabs.
Not only can you get affordable trips from Manchester Airport, specifically, but there are discounts across the board by the operator.
The Big Orange Sale is becoming an increasingly popular annual occurrence for Brits, with countless holidaymakers, rather fittingly, making the most of the offer.
In fact, you might have already seen the advert yourselves:
Packing our bags already.
Just as the ad explains, those travelling via easyJet can get up to 20% discount on flights to a load of different destinations across the globe.
Yes, the company are knocking up to a fifth off the price on flights over the course of nearly 10 months’ worth of travel from the UK, provided the trip is booked within the right window.
Seeing savings on more than 730,000 seats, the time frame itself is also one of the longest cut-price periods you’ll come across this year, not to mention well into 2027.
Better still, it doesn’t just stop at flying itself…
Get this, the flight operators and travel agents are offering up to £400 off on package holidays, meaning those old faithful all-inclusives are about to become even more bang for your buck.
Featuring not only countless mainland European favourites on the list, but also the likes of the Canary Islands, Morocco, and numerous popular skiing hotspots, just to name a few.
In ideal news for all you lot, approximately 90,000 of these reduced seats are on flights from Manchester Airport, with the operators also having just added 30 new locations to the areas they service.
Allowing you to book trips departing between 1 May 2026 and 14 March 2027, it’s a huge travel window for you to get extra value-for-money deals on your next getaway.
You can find the full list of flights and package holidays on easyJet’s Big Orange Sale right HERE.
Speaking of airports, you’ll also be glad to hear that public transport infrastructure is also getting a big upgrade to make your next holiday even easier:
Daisy Jackson -
15th May 2024 
