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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
News
Travel advice issued in Manchester to avoid chaotic Christmas shopping scenes again
Daisy Jackson
Mancs have been issued clear travel advice in a bid to prevent chaotic scenes in Manchester city centre.
Last weekend saw shoppers queueing for up to five hours to get out of the car park adjacent to the Arndale shopping centre.
It was a perfect storm that brought so many thousands into town, from pay day to Black Friday sales to the Christmas Markets.
Even before last weekend’s insane scenes, which left people ‘trapped’ inside a multi-storey, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) had issued some travel advice.
@MENnewsdesk I think have officially broken the record for the longest time trying to exit the Arndale Car Park on Saturday 26th November. It took us 5 hours 3 minutes to get from Level 12 to the exit. It is not fit for purpose Manchester Council!! FUMING! pic.twitter.com/VK6sTBX9N2
They said that the same weekend last year saw an 11% increase in peak journey times, with between 3pm and 7pm the busiest part of the day.
The first weekend of the Christmas Markets this year reportedly led to a 7% increase in vehicles around the city centre.
TfGM encouraged people to use public transport or active travel wherever possible, predicting a massive upswing in visitor numbers coming to the city to shop, eat, drink, attend concerts and see the Christmas Markets.
TfGM outlined a few options available to cope with the increase in trips in the festive season.
Travel advice has been issued for the festive season. Credit: TfGM
There are thousands of free park and ride sites around Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network, with family tickets offering travel for one to three children and one or two adults from as little as £3.60.
The new bus fare cap is in place now too, so a single trip will never cost more than £2 (or £1 for a child).
Congestion has increased in the city centre and inner ring road, with car trips returning back to pre-pandemic levels and some big road layouts that leave less space for cars (like the pedestrianisation of the Northern Quarter).
Travel advice for drivers is as follows:
Drive at a quieter time – this means avoiding driving to and around the city after 12pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and between 3pm and 7pm during the week.
Know where road congestion may be – our data shows that journeys along the Mancunian Way typically have higher journey times during the week, and journeys along the northern section of the Inner Ring Road (Great Ancoats Street) have higher journey times at the weekend.
Take a different route – if you need to drive across the city at the weekend, it may be quicker to use Alan Turing Way/Mancunian Way.
Park on the same side of the city as your route if you can – driving across the city can add additional time to your journey, so if it’s an option for you, park in a car park closest to your route out of the city centre.
Check for quicker routes before every car journey on Google, Waze and other Apps. You can also use TfGM’s journey planner.
TfGM’s Get on Board Christmas campaign has helpfully mapped out festive offerings around the region – from food to free things to family activities – and includes travel advice on how to get there.
TfGM’s Head of Highways, Peter Boulton, said: “We want everyone coming to enjoy the many great attractions that the city centre and Trafford Centre have to offer to enjoy the festivities and have a great time.
“The number of trips on our roads is back to where they were before the pandemic and that is leading to added congestion at key times – which means more people stuck in traffic.
“To avoid this, we’d encourage people to plan their journey by thinking about how they plan to get in, around and out of the city centre.
“Public transport is a great option, with frequent services and great value products as well as plenty of staff and information on hand to help you plan the perfect journey.”
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council, said: “It has been great to see people returning to Manchester to enjoy what the festive season has to offer.
“We are expecting it to be increasingly busy the closer we get to Christmas which is why we’d urge people to plan ahead before they travel and stay up to date with the region’s transport network through the TfGM website.
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“We’d encourage people to use public transport as much as possible when travelling into Manchester as it is the most environmentally friendly method, as well as the best way of beating the traffic.”
Featured image:TfGM
News
Army ‘on standby’ as UK prepares for more postal, rail, lecturer and nurses strikes in December
Danny Jones
The armed forces are said to be “on standby” to help fill various roles ahead of a new raft of strikes across health, education and postal sectors this month.
Royal Mail workers, university lecturers and sixth-form college staff are committed to walking out over pay disputes on Wednesday, 30 November as various organised strikes persist across the country.
Countless employees from various industries who feel they are underappreciated and underpaid are set to join the ongoing rail strikes, as well as the thousands of nurses expected to follow suit on the picket line throughout December.
Now, as per the interim chief executive of NHS Providers Saffron Cordery, given the strikes’ proximity to Christmas, roping in the British military now seems likely. Dr Emma Runswick of the British Medical Association said there is there a simple way to put an end to mass industrial action: pay people fairly.
"It is a solvable problem, you just have to be willing to come to fair deals with us."
Dr Emma Runswick, of the British Medical Association, explains how government 'is able to stop strike action' in the NHS.
Speaking to Sky News on Thursday morning, Cordery confirmed that while the army is waiting in the wings to help fill relevant NHS roles, “the reality is if the army or other armed forces step in it will very much be at the margins rather than going out and driving ambulances”.
It remains unclear whether army personnel will be needed to combat the impending labour shortage across other industries. Regardless, the Communication Workers Union are going ahead will a series of strikes in December.
Having formally called on Royal Mail employees to join the national demonstrations for strike action on the following days:
Friday, 9 December
Sunday, 11 December
Wednesday, 14 December
Thursday, 15 December
Friday, 23 December
Saturday, 24 December
As for rail workers, RMT Assistant General Secretary Eddie Dempsey shared a similar sentiment, assuring that while the train drivers and the transport sector, in general, are standing firm, negotiations with Network Rail and other operators continue this week.
Could we see rail strikes called off?
Eddie Dempsey, @RMTunion Assistant General Secretary, believes there's been a “change of tone” under new Transport Secretary Mark Harper, and says negotiations with Network Rail are continuing this week.#KayBurley#AskTheUnionLeaders LT pic.twitter.com/beOYTLTgXs
In addition to RMT members across 14 rail companies striking on 13-14 and 16-17 December, as well as 3-4 and 6-7 January, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) said that staff working onboard and station roles will take action against Avanti West Coast on 13, 14, 16 and 17 December.
Meanwhile, the National Education Union (NEU) which represents 77 sixth-form colleges in England are also striking over pay, stating that in real terms, teachers have suffered a pay cut of around 20% since 2010.
Furthermore, the University and College Union (UCU) already held a 48-hour strike last week and is now set to hold another 24-hour walkout among university staff. As well as organising a large rally in London, union members across at least 150 different institutions will be joining the December strikes.
WE NEED EVERY MEMBER TO RT THIS SPEECH
Today is a historic day. Our biggest ever rally
The bosses thought scenes like this were impossible
They thought we were too tired, too overwhelmed, too weak
It’s going to be an interesting end to the year and it remains to be seen what, if any measures the government will take to curb what has been described as the greatest period of industrial action since the 1980s.
Georgina Pellant -
10th May 2021 
