A jewellery designer from Manchester has accused Primark of stealing her ring designs, taking to social media to share her outrage on Tuesday afternoon in a viral video.
In a post that has already been liked over 10,000 times, July Child jewellery founder Sinead Flood shows herself walking into Primark and up to the jewellery section, where she picks up a number of rings and holds up her own by way of comparison.
Comparing a turquoise ‘Y2K Butterfly’ ring of her own with a very similar looking lavender version on sale in Primark, she opens the video by saying “My customers told me that Primark stole my designs… And here is what I found…”
Image: July Child
After showing the camera her Y2k Butterfly ring, she points to the similarity between a pink, jewel-encrusted heart-shaped ring of Primark’s and her own ‘Cosmic Girl’ ring, holding up the Primark ring followed by a screenshot of her own product in quick succession.
The video then shows Sinead hiding the offensive items underneath the jewellery stand in the store.
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Captioned “@primark you need to take down these products immediately!!!”, her video has been shared on both Instagram and TikTok and garnered hundreds of comments from shocked followers, who are outraged on her behalf.
Sinead finishes by stating that she will be sending Primark a cease and desist letter from her legal representative – adding “unless they see this and decide to do the right thing.”
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Image: July Child
Image: July Child
Sinead Flood started July Child jewellery in May 2017, and has previously described her jewellery brand as an extension of herself.
Prior to launching, she’d worked as a salesperson in the sports industry down in London – but she’d always loved collecting pieces on her travels and the stories that they told.
July Child is a worldwide cult jeweller, curating a collection from around the globe to appeal to its customers.
Designs are strongly inspired by Sinead’s own taste, she then collaborates with other designers and brands to “create an online boutique of jewellery filled with unique, quirky bits of pieces – a treasure chest of jewels if you will.”
She now faces a potential legal struggle with the global retailer.
A Primark spokesperson said: “We have been made aware of a video on social media featuring two pieces from Primark’s latest Spring/Summer jewellery collection.
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“We are currently looking into this and would be happy to discuss further should the channel owner wish to get in touch with us directly”
New images released of Piccadilly Gardens as transformation plans take a big step forward
Daisy Jackson
Plans to transform Piccadilly Gardens to make them more ‘colourful, vibrant and safe’ have taken a big step forward today, with new images released.
Manchester City Council has shared the vision to the public ahead of a planning application being submitted this summer.
The plans to finally give Piccadilly Gardens some love were revealed last autumn, but things are now moving at pace with a delivery team appointed to design and build the new public space.
The new images show the vision for more green space, including lawns, trees, planting, seating, and colourful horticultural displays.
The temperamental fountains will also be removed for good, replaced with a new space called The Pavilion which will host family-friendly events.
The low concrete walls and raised planters at the edge of the gardens will be ripped out, improving the setting of the Queen Victoria statue.
There’ll be a new, larger playground for younger children, created in the same high quality style as the new parks at Mayfield Park and Ancoats Green.
A pre-planning consultation has started today and will run until Wednesday 15 July, with plans to submit the final planning application later this summer.
The new-look play area at Piccadilly GardensPlans for the new Piccadilly Gardens from above
The council has said that these new designs reflect feedback from the public and opinions on what we want to see at the new Piccadilly Gardens.
Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig said: “We’re getting on with sorting out Piccadilly Gardens. We all want to see a space which Mancunians can be proud of – a welcoming and attractive environment which people want to spend time in.
“So as well other initiatives which are delivering more police and more CCTV, we’re bringing forward this scheme to transform the public space. That means investment in more flowers, more greenery, a new welcome pavilion, a new and bigger playground and an altogether more inviting Piccadilly Gardens. A bright new chapter is just around the corner.”
Further planned improvements to the area around Piccadilly Gardens in the coming years will include a multi-million pound investment by Transport for Greater Manchester to create a new, modern transport interchange.
Council calls on Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use
Emily Sergeant
Residents across Manchester are being called on to help bring hundreds of empty homes across the region back into use.
Since the beginning of this year, a major review has been underway around the city’s draft strategy for bringing empty homes back into use to help meet demand for affordable homes across the city, while also improving communities by tackling empty homes that can blight an area… but now, Manchester City Council needs your help.
Following a major public consultation, the Council is now acting on feedback to accelerate plans to bring as many long-term empty homes back into active use as possible.
Although the number of long-term empty homes in Manchester is near a historic low, with the Council having managed to reduce the number by more than half since 2013, there is still more work to be done.
“Every void property is a missed opportunity to provide a family a place to live, reduce homelessness, and lessen the burden on temporary accommodation,” the Council said in a statement.
The Council is calling on the Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
So, how can residents help then? What do you need to do if you spot an empty home on a street nearby?
Well, the easiest way to report an empty home is to report the issue online here, or by emailing [email protected]. And then once that’s done, a team of dedicated empty homes officers will take up the case to find out who owns the property and work with the owner on a plan to bring the home back into use.
The vast number of empty homes are privately owned with complex histories, and there are some cases where an owner may have passed away.
While working collaboratively with housing providers, voluntary organisations and public services are also a key element of detecting potentially empty or ‘problematic’ homes to repurpose them.
Officers can also support, where required, if a communication or language poses a barrier to resolving an empty home issue.
Tailored approaches to different communities – where empty homes impact neighbourhoods in different ways – are also being considered, according to the Council.
“To think, if we could bring all empty homes back into use, then we could provide more homes for those on the housing register and take pressure off the whole housing system,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development.
“The potential of making empty homes a thing of the past is huge for Manchester families looking for a place to call home – and a significant part of tackling the housing crisis.”
Georgina Pellant -
9th March 2022 
