The Royal Exchange building in Manchester has been a cornerstone of the city centre for hundreds of years.
Once a hub for trading cotton and textiles, the Grade II-listed building is now home to restaurants, cafes, independent retailers and big brands.
The Royal Exchange’s beautiful arcade is lined with everything from jewellers to menswear boutiques, while other operators face out onto the famous St Ann’s Square, Market Street, Old Bank Street, or Cross Street.
It’s a place to eat, drink and shop, for everything from a quick lunch to a leisurely afternoon tea with friends.
Here’s a guide to some of the places to check out at The Royal Exchange in Manchester.
Image: The Royal Exchange Manchester
Sostrene Grene
Often dubbed ‘little Ikea’, Sostrene Grene is a popular Danish home and lifestyle store.
This is the perfect place to pick up affordable things for your home and garden, selling everything from furniture to party supplies to gardening gear to candles.
The Whisky Shop
This decadent shop facing out onto Exchange Street is a haven for all things whisky.
The Whisky Shop is a specialist whisky retailer selling popular brands as well as rare bottles, plus glasses, decanters, and cocktail recipe books.
Image: Annie’s Manchester
Annie’s
This is one of Manchester’s cosiest and most traditional tearooms, serving finger sandwiches, scones, sponges and tarts and popular Afternoon Teas.
It also happens to be owned by Coronation Street star Jennie McAlpine and her husband.
Arthur Kay Jewellers
Arthur Kay Jewellers has been in the Royal Exchange for more than 125 years, making it the oldest shop in the building.
Standing on the corner of Market Street and St Ann’s Square, the family-run business sells new and pre-owned jewellery and watches at affordable prices.
BBC Podcast host Adeola Patronne pictured at Jenny Jones Jewellery. The retailers helped get her glammed up for a shoot with @hoodrichuk and @footasylum. / Image: Jenny Jones Jewellery
Jenny Jones Jewellery
This jewellers is also one of The Royal Exchange’s staple stores, with more than 40 years of trade in the building, and is the longest standing shop in the building.
Jenny Jones Jewellery started life as an antiques stall, back when the basement of the building was a popular shopping centre for stalls and cafes.
The Butcher’s Chop Shop
One of Manchester’s coolest barbers has taken up a unit in the arcade, creating a modern space with white tiled walls and a pink neon pig artwork.
Matt Bambroffe and Steve Ward, the pair behind the Butcher’s Chop Shop, also own Jersey Street Social Club in Ancoats.
Just because you might have dietary requirements, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the simple pleasures of cake.
The Remedy Kitchen is a free-from cafe specialising in a dairy-free, gluten-free and refined sugar-free menu.
To find out more and to start planning your day out at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, visit https://www.theroyalexchangemanchester.com/stores/
Feature image – The Royal Exchange Manchester
City Centre
Road to Victory returns for massive Euro 2025 final screening at AO Arena
Danny Jones
England are in another final, and you know what that means: Road to Victory is returning to Manchester for another massive screening at the AO Arena as England’s women’s team prepare to defend their Euros trophy.
Sarina Weigman’s side made it to their second consecutive European final on Tuesday night following more late drama for the Lionesses against Italy.
The squad, which has seen a number of personnel changes since Euro 2022, managed to make it through to the final in the eleventh hour thanks to another stoppage-time equaliser from Michelle Agyemang and even more tense follow-up from a scuffed spot-kick by Chloe Kelly.
Will they ever stop giving us heart palpitations at major tournaments? Probably not, but the big watchalong party inside the AO Arena, which will see thousands turn up to watch the Euro 2025 final, is sure to deliver plenty of excitement either way.
For anyone unfamiliar with the massive fan zone – one of THE biggest in all Europe, in fact – Road to Victory is the unparalleled supporter party by AIX (Amplified Immersive Xperiences) Live, who specialise in the top-end of audio-visual matchday viewing vibes.
Having hosted huge screenings for the previous men’s Euros and the Qatar World Cup, and even inspiring a massive watchalong of last season’s Europa League final at the venue, Road to Victory (RtV) is just about as big and bold as it gets.
Think BOXPARK in London only bigger, more interactive and, dare we say it… better?
Yes, we do dare say it; having attended RtV on multiple occasions since it landed here back in 2022, we can confirm you won’t find an atmosphere quite like it anywhere else. At least not in Greater Manchester, anyway.
Case and point:
With doors to the women’s Euros screening opening at 4pm, there’ll be plenty of time for pre-match build-up before the game gets underway, and there’ll be plenty of entertainment, light displays, food, drinks and more – it’s just up to Manchester fans to be in full voice.
The Women’s European Championships certainly have a more all-ages, family-friendly feel to them, but Road to Victory and the AO Arena are still ensuring they deliver a palpable match-day energy.
Tickets are already live following England’s place in the last two of the Women’s Euros now confirmed, it’s merely a matter of securing yours and finding out who, out of Germany and Spain, will meet them in the final this weekend.
Once again, the 2025 Women’s Euros final kicks off at 5pm on Sunday, 27 July, and you can grab your tickets for the Road to Victory screening at the AO Arena in Manchester right HERE.
Classical musician Hauser announces huge arena gig in Manchester later this year
Thomas Melia
Croatian cellist and former member of classical band 2CELLOS, Hauser, has announced a tour including an arena date in Manchester this year.
World-class musician Stjepan Hauser, known professionally as Hauser, is getting ready to pack his cello and cheeky smile as he embarks on ‘The Rebel Is Back’ tour.
Hauser has amassed a worldwide cult following of classical music lovers, by not only respecting the genre, but evolving it too by intertwining his cello skills into modern day pop hits.
The cellist has covered lots of current pop songs while part of musical duo 2CELLOS like ‘We Found Love’, ‘Despacito’, and ‘Viva La Vida’.
You can also expect to hear covers of some of music’s greatest compositions, including the timeless opera classic ‘Nessun Dorma’, and highly-adored ballet piece ‘Swan Lake’.
Recently, Hauser has teamed up with London Symphony Orchestra to reimagine Ennio Morricone’s ‘Le Vent, le cri’, taken from the 1981 French film Le Professionnel.
Hauser has performed in over 40 countries and played at some of the most prestigious venues across the world – including Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House.
He’s also become a social media sensation, capturing people’s attention via his videos playing his cello in a variety of interesting locations like a swimming pool, at the desert, and even on the famous Brooklyn Bridge.
Classical musician Hauser announces huge arena gig in Manchester later this year / Credit: Stefan Brending (via Wikimedia Commons)
You’ll be able to identify a lot of the tracks played out when Hauser visits AO Arena, as his upcoming album titled Cinema, features a wide variety of soundtracks and film theme tunes.
The highly-anticipated LP from Hauser contains ‘What Was I Made For?’ from Barbie, ‘Mission: Impossible’, ‘A Time For Us’ from Romeo and Juliet, alongside lots more motion picture melodies.
The musician is quite familiar with Manchester city city centre too, Hauser studied at Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester before taking the classical world by storm.
Daisy Jackson -
20th May 2022 
