One of the most famous names in independent menswear is independent no more – having been quietly snapped up by retail giant JD Sports earlier this year.
The news was not released formally, rather the purchase was first spotted by The Business Desk, who noticed updates on the Manchester retailer’s Companies House profile last month.
The sale went ahead in January of this year, with it being reported that founders Steve Sanderson and Nigel Lawson – who first established the iconic Thomas Street retailer in 2002 – have now stepped away from the business.
Long considered a vanguard of Mancunian style, over the years Oi Polloi has counted the likes of Ian Brown, Bernard Sumner and Liam Gallagher amongst its regular customers.
Oi Polloi
The brand also launched a second, smaller, outlet in London’s Soho back in 2015, Heralded at the time, it was heralded as a home for Mancunian fashion in the south, it later closed in 2019.
Over the past near-two decades, the Northern Quarter site has become a cultural institution – perfectly typifying the relationship of exchange between Manchester’s music and fashion scenes and namechecking the likes of The Fall, Oasis, The Smiths, Happy Mondays, New Order, Joy Division and Buzzcocks along the way.
But back when they founded the store in 2002, Sanderson and Lawson were simply looking to build the sort of store they themselves wanted to shop in.
Derived from the Ancient Greek, Oi Polloi loosely translates to the many or, in the stricter sense, the people. Here in Manchester, it’s come to stand for the working-class (albeit not working-class prices).
Growing up, there was nowhere you could go that would have Lacoste, Levi’s, Adidas, Nike and Barbour all under one roof. So they decided to build it.
As a result, their shop quickly became a hit with stylish gents in the know – highly rated for its mixture of leading and emerging labels, classic pieces, sportswear, hunting gear and sixties bombers.
Having championed the likes of Patagonia, Fjällräven, The North Face and Champion well before the hype beast buyers at JD brand Size? clocked on, we suppose it’s no surprise that JD had their sights set on the original independent menswear retailer.
JD Sports
The sale comes as part of a bigger acquisition move by JD. The firm raised £460 million through a share placing earlier this year, which it is now using as a ‘war chest’ to fund its global expansion.
The retail magnate also recently took on Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green brand after it went into administration, and is currently in the process of confirming a merger with Rochdale-based company FootAsylum.
When compared to its takeover of US firms Finish Line, DTLR and Shoe Palace, Oi Polloi is a relatively small purchase – but the change of hands is likely to hit locals hard here in Manchester.
After all, whilst it doesn’t seem like anything has changed from the outside – we’re not sure that it’s ever going to be quite the same there again.
Forever an institution, Oi Polloi is officially in the big boys club now.
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All military personnel can travel for FREE on Manchester’s public transport this weekend
Emily Sergeant
All military personnel will be allowed to travel for free across Greater Manchester’s public transport system this weekend.
In case you hadn’t heard, this Saturday 28 June is Armed Forces Day.
Armed Forces Day sees Brits celebrate those who are currently serving troops, their families, serving reservists, veterans, and cadets, and Manchester will also be paying tribute to the hundreds who have ‘fearlessly served’ with day of commemorations in the city centre on Saturday.
Mancunians are expected to line the streets as a parade made up of armed forces personnel, veterans, and cadets will begin a procession that will proudly march through the centre of Manchester, starting in St Peter’s Square at 11:30am.
Manchester will be marking Armed Forces Day 2025 this weekend with a 'poignant' military parade through the city centre. 🎖🥁
You can also expect an afternoon of live performances by the lively Lancashire Army Artillery Band, alongside music hosted by BBC Radio DJ, Michelle Dignan, up until 4pm.
Historic military displays, and stalls from organisations including the NHS, Royal British Legion, and Manchester City Council’s own Armed Forces Covenant, will also be in attendance, as well giving visitors the chance to explore an engaging display of military vehicles, uniforms, artefacts, and personal stories that span the rich legacy of the British armed forces inside a pop-up Military Museum tent.
This year’s Armed Forces Day is also particularly-special because it marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) which happened on 8 May, and the upcoming Victory over Japan (VJ Day) on 15 August.
All military personnel can travel for free on Manchester’s public transport this weekend / Credit: GMP | Bee Network
And so, in order to honour what an important weekend it is for hundreds in our region, the Bee Network has announced that all military personnel will be allowed to travel for free.
Free travel will be permitted on all Bee Network bus and tram services on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June for any members of the Regular and Reserve Services carrying their MOD90 card, veterans who carry their Veterans’ badge or Veterans’ rail card, and cadets travelling in uniform.
To mark Armed Forces Day, we're offering free travel this weekend (28-29 June) for military personnel and veterans across bus and tram services in Greater Manchester.
“The Armed Forces community makes an invaluable contribution to our society, and we’re showing our appreciation with free travel on Bee Network buses and trams across Greater Manchester this weekend,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is the Chief Network Officer at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
The free travel is part of TfGM’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant – a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.
“It’s a special weekend and one we’re proud to get behind,” Danny concluded.
Featured Image – Janus Boye
News
Stockport paedophile jailed after ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in early 2000s
Emily Sergeant
A prolific paedophile has been sentenced after admitting to ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in the early 2000s.
Christopher Oates, from Stockport, has been brought to justice this week after he subjected vulnerable girls to what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has referred to as a ‘campaign’ of violence and sexual abuse 20 years ago.
The court heard how the 45-year-old groomed one of the survivors from when she was just 14 years old, by providing her with a false sense of security, paying her compliments, and pretending to be her boyfriend, all before he proceeded to ply her with drugs, gifts, and affection, and using the trust and control he gained to persuade her to start sex work on the streets of Manchester.
When the teenage victim began to doubt his intentions and asked to go home, Oates dragged her down an alleyway, violently attacked her, and threatened her with a gun, stating: ‘You do as I say, you’re mine now,’ commanding her to go to her ‘spot’.
It was this incident that prompted the teenager to confide in her mother and support services, and from here, found the strength to move forward with her life, while still courageously supporting the police investigation.
#JAILED | Paedophile sentenced to 13 years for abusing teenage girls and committing a catalogue of crimes uncovered by detectives pic.twitter.com/yFKNtFmy6Z
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 26, 2025
From this investigation, detectives were then able to identify a second teenage victim, a 17-year-old, who Oates also coerced into sex work.
The two victims recall Oates taking them to a designated spot in central Manchester at least once a week to carry out sex acts in cars for money.
Oates would supply both victims with cocaine and alcohol, and even pressured them to take crack cocaine and heroin, aiming to build an addiction and increase their dependency on him.
In April 2024, Oates pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children, taking indecent images of children, and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication, as well as pleading to the production of cannabis and two counts of possessing an identity document with improper intent.
After being remanded into custody, on 5 September 2024, Oates was postal charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, three counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 years old, and two counts causing / inciting a child aged 13-17 years to prostitution.
A paedophile from Stockport has been jailed after ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in the early 2000s / Credit: GMP
In March earlier this year on the fourth day of his trial, Oates admitted to the offences, and this week (25 June 2025), he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for all his crimes.
“I would like to commend the two women at the centre of this case for the strength they demonstrated throughout our investigation and subsequent legal proceedings,” commented Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Eleanor Humphreys, from GMP’s CSE Major Investigations Team, as Oates was sentenced this week.
“It has been an arduous process for them to relieve the horrific abuse, and I am so grateful they placed their trust and confidence in our team to pursue justice.
“Their resilience and determination were the driving force behind reaching today’s outcome, where a dangerous man begins serving a lengthy sentence behind bars, far away from causing any more harm or misery.
Georgina Pellant -
10th May 2021 
