John Lewis Christmas Store opens four months early
John Lewis has announced that it has opened its online Christmas store in August - four months before the big bearded man in the red hat comes to town.
John Lewis has announced that it has opened its online Christmas store in August – four months before the big bearded man in the red hat comes to town.
The motivation for the early opening comes following a surge in Christmas shopping searches online – which have catapulted by 370 per cent on the John Lewis website from the same time last year.
The most sought after items appear to be in the festive theme – including Christmas trees, baubles, lights and wrapping paper.
It’s been a pretty morbid year all round, so it makes sense that people are looking ahead to happier times.
Jason Billings-Cray, partner and Christmas buyer at John Lewis, said: “Christmas always provides a reason for celebration and a welcome break.”
“Understandably it looks as if people are looking forward to and planning for it earlier than ever this year.”
“Christmas celebrations mostly take place in our homes and we have seen how the lockdown has made people think more about their homes, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that people are already thinking about how they will decorate their homes this Christmas.”
Christmas items are available to browse online right now.
They will be ready to buy in stores from 25 September onwards.
News
Inside the new Pull & Bear as shoppers say new Trafford Centre megastores are ‘literally a maze’
Daisy Jackson
The trio of new fashion arrivals at the Trafford Centre is now complete, with a brand-new supersized Zara, Bershka, and Pull & Bear now open for business.
The huge new-look Pull & Bear promises an ‘interactive and visionary’ shopping experience, with modern concrete interiors and metallic finishes.
It’s a similar minimalist design to the new Zara and Bershka that opened a few weeks ago, and signals a new design movement for parent company Inditex.
Pull & Bear now spans 805.40 square metres, showcasing accessories, footwear, and clothing.
It’s an impressive space, but shoppers have started joking that the new stores are so futuristic and modern, they’re getting a little overwhelmed.
One person wrote: “I went today and had to leave it made me feel ill it was like walking in a maze.”
One shopper said it feels like stepping into ‘Kim K’s wardrobe’ and more than a few people have compared the stores to a ‘space ship’.
A viral video on TikTok showed one girl managing to lose her friend inside the maze-like retail space.
She said: “Forgive me for being dramatic but I lost my mate 10 minutes ago in the new Zara in the Trafford Centre and I genuinely can’t find her.
“Like I’ve just been walking round in circles trying to find an outfit for a party, but I’ve lost her instead, so we’re playing a game of hide and seek in the Trafford Centre.
“Oh my god I’ve got a spinny head I’m giving myself whiplash.”
Have you been to the new Zara / Berskha / Pull & Bear yet? What do you think?
A long-standing Italian restaurant in Trafford has sadly announced its imminent closure
Danny Jones
Another day, another bit of unfortunate hospitality news, as long-standing Greater Manchester restaurant, Little Italy in Timperley, has announced it is closing permanently very soon.
The Trafford favourite, which has been serving locals for nearly 20 years, has informed regular diners that it will sadly be closing its doors for good, with Little Italy’s final service set for later this month.
Having earned plenty of praise in its time, including being one of the few spots in and around the Altrincham area to have won a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2015, before the borough saw its foodie boom begin.
But fast forward a decade, and the Timperley institution is yet another culinary casualty to be confirmed of late, with Little Italy sharing a tear-jerking statement online.
Sharing the tragic news on social media this Friday (5 Sep), the restaurant wrote: “To all our lovely customers, it is with a heavy heart that we share some news with you all. After over 18 years of serving you all in Timperley, we will be closing our doors later this month.
“This has not been an easy decision. Unfortunately, rising costs and a significant increase in rental [costs] have made it impossible to continue in a sustainable way. As much as we love what we do, the reality is that it has become too difficult to maintain under these circumstances.
“Over the coming weeks, we will continue to cook with love and serve with the same passion as always. We would love to see you all and share one more meal, and raise a glass together.”
Safe to say that the post has been met with an outpouring of condolences and support from natives nearby and those who have travelled to enjoy their food.
Little Italy went on to add that they will detail more about their final week of business as soon as possible.
They can’t be accused of not keeping up with times and not trying to promote via social media either, as they small family-run team – headed up by Sam Cauchi, who bought the site back in 2008 – have always given things a go besides the day-to-day operation of the restaurant.
Being one of many saddened customers to respond underneath the announcement, we couldn’t possibly sum up things better than local Vanessa Nice, who said: “Look at all these amazing comments – you certainly made your mark as a home from home for the residents of Timperley.
“The end of an era will always be sad, but sometimes life and families have to move on.”
As for Cauchi and co., they signed off by simply adding: “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support, kindness and friendship over the years. Timperley has been our home, and you have all been our family.
“Love from all the team at Little Italy.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted for the gang and our thoughts are with everyone involved at this difficult time. For now, we can only say thank you to the countless Greater Manchester locations that continue to fall foul in the face of the rising pressures industry-wide. Case and point…
The Manc -
28th August 2020 
