The new Zara has finally opened inside the Trafford Centre, and it’s even bigger and better than we could’ve imagined.
Back in April, the shopping centre signed a deal with Inditex for the new supersized Zara store that would occupy its own flagship space on Peel Avenue.
The Spanish fast fashion brand is famed for its affordable trend-led fashions which you’ll find in abundance at the new space which covers over 3,000 square meters across one single level.
It’s the very first concept store of its kind in the UK, featuring technology like you’ve never seen before.
Images: Supplied
Customers can interact with the brand in-store or via zara.com and the Zara app, enabling real-time inventory browsing, quick product location, and online order pickup.
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Created by Zara’s Architecture Studio, the space has been redesigned to offer an elevated experience and is absolutely stunning.
Designed to be your personal stylist, the store features a series of interconnected rooms where each showcases its own curated identity – so you don’t have to go far to find the perfect fit.
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Images: Supplied
To celebrate the opening, collections have even been advanced to the Trafford Centre before hitting the rails at any other Zara across the country.
From a dedicated shoe room and an adorable baby closet to an exclusive activewear department and fragrance room, there’s literally everything you could ever want to get you kitted out from head to toe.
Say goodbye to queueing with heaps of hangers, because the changing rooms will practically deliver the clothes for you whilst you can fly through the payment process with the 37 assisted-checkouts.
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Images: Supplied
Every inch of the customer experience has been made as streamlined as possible, meaning you could be in and out in a matter of minutes without even having to speak to a member of staff.
But of course, there’ll be members of staff on hand wherever you may need from helping you find the perfect size in the changing rooms to assisting you with your returns.
It’s the best Zara we’ve ever stepped foot in, it’s like shopping in a space ship in the best way possible.
Sankeys shares sneak peek at new venue as legendary Manchester nightclub gears up for return
Daisy Jackson
Sankeys has given Mancs a glimpse inside its new venue as the legendary nightclub gears up for its return.
The club was one of Manchester’s top nightlife spots for years, before shutting down seemingly for good almost a decade ago.
Set within Beehive Mill in Ancoats, Sankeys was a true icon of Manchester’s global nightlife scene.
And while the old Sankeys Soap nightlife space is now full of co-working spaces, the spirit of Sankeys is about to be reborn.
The exact location of the new club is still being kept under wraps ahead of its reopening at the end of January, but new renderings have been released to give us a glimpse of how it will look.
Sankeys is promising ‘A reimagined space. New energy. Same legendary nights’.
The new Sankeys Manchester will be a 500-capacity venue, designed to ‘capture the raw underground energy that made Sankeys one of the most iconic club brands in the world’.
It will feature an LED matrix grid installation that will immerse clubbers in ‘light, sound and atmosphere’.
Sankeys Manchester officially opens on 30 January – you can see a glimpse of how it will look below and grab tickets HERE.
Manchester councillor Bev Craig has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List
Danny Jones
The leader of Manchester City Council and representative for Burnage, Bev Craig, has officially been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours List for 2026.
Councillor Craig, who has held her leadership position since October 2021, received the OBE for her services to local government.
She joins several other regional councillors to be named by King Charles III.
First elected by Burnage residents back in 2011, she has spent more than a decade and a half devoting her professional life to the community, as well as nearly a whole five years of that time at the highest level within the Council.
The University of Manchester graduate has played several key roles throughout her career, including giving back to higher education, helping trade unions, as well as serving as an executive member for adult social care and health during the pandemic, before serving as Deputy and eventually Leader.
Speaking in an official statement, Craig said: “To receive an OBE is a huge privilege, and to get awarded it for what I’ve been able to give back to our city is all the more special.
“Manchester is an incredible city, made special by its people and a place I’m proud to call home.
“Leading our city is a privilege I don’t take for granted, so to get awarded an OBE for what we’ve been doing to make Manchester an even better place to live and improve the lives of Manchester people, while creating a city that is fairer and more inclusive for generations to come, is the real honour.”
With the Council having also confirmed two special NYE events on either side of the Town Hall this year, it feels like a fitting celebration.
Congratulations to Bev Craig on the well-deserved accolade and title; we have no doubt she’ll continue to excel in her post.
You can find the King’s 2026 New Year Honours List HERE.
As for the discussion around knighthoods, many Brits are currently calling for a change in the rules in hopes of making OBE, CBE and MBE, Kevin Sinfield a Sir.
Clementine Hall -
7th August 2025 
