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Primark has launched a new vintage clothing section in Manchester

Vntage fans can expect to see one-off denim jumpsuits and shirts, spaghetti tops, printed sweaters, puffa jackets from the 70s, 80s and 90s

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 23rd August 2022

High street fast fashion beast Primark has surprised its fans and haters this week by revealing plans to launch a new vintage clothing section.

The retailer, which is regularly chastised by slow fashion campaigners for its unethical methods of production, has made a move to be a bit more green by linking up with a local indie vintage clothing business.

Working alongside the Vintage Wholesale Company, which also runs the established vintage and second-hand clothing boutique Poorboy in Hull, Primark will launch two new vintage clothing sections at its Manchester and Birmingham stores under the brand name WornWell.

It means that, for the first time, Primark customers can shop a mix of branded and unbranded, pre-loved items in store and leave feeling that little bit better about their carbon footprint.

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Image: Primark

Promising to stock a range of 70s, 80s and 90s trends, vintage fans can expect to see one-off denim jumpsuits and shirts, spaghetti tops, printed sweaters, puffa jackets and vibrant, patterned shirts within the new Wornwell sections.

Brands-wise, those prepared to dig will uncover vintage pieces from Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Converse, Levi’s and Dr. Martens.

Riccardo Seaton, Director of WornWell by the Vintage Wholesale Company, said; “We are delighted to be opening WornWell by the Vintage Wholesale Company at Primark.

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“We take great pride in sourcing high-quality vintage clothing from around the world, and we’re excited to expand our business and offer once-off pieces of timeless fashion to customers in Birmingham and Manchester.  

“Each item is unique. We want to inspire our customers to express their individuality and discover a love of vintage through wearing our clothes.”  

Image: PRimark

Speaking on the new partnership, Jermaine Lapwood, Head of Innovation and Future Trends at Primark, added:  “We’re very excited to open our first vintage concessions in Birmingham and Manchester. Vintage clothing has increased in popularity over the last few years, and we know that our customers love creating unique looks by mixing old fashion with new.

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“This concession will be the nostalgic bridge between generations, bringing curated retro fashion at great value.  

“We want to see clothes loved for longer and kept in circulation – we’ve got big plans within our own business to give clothes a longer life, and we’re thrilled to be supporting an independent business who is working to do this.” 

Read more: Public warned to avoid this man as police launch manhunt for murder suspect

A date for the new vintage drop has yet to be released, but the clothing is expected to appear in store in the coming weeks.

Feature image – Poorboy Vintage

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Chorlton neighbourhood favourite The Creameries has permanently closed

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

Chorlton neighbourhood favourite The Creameries has permanently closed, it has been confirmed.

According to chef-owner Mary-Ellen McTague, the business had been doing well at the end of 2019 but has been “f*cked” ever since the pandemic.

Two years of not bringing in enough money, coupled with fewer people eating out, a backlog of loans and then a rise in VAT combined to leave her with little option but to sell – yet whilst there were a few interested buyers, none made it over the finish line.

As a result, after trying a number of different formats to keep the business going, she has made the decision to close up shop for good.

Speaking on closure, Mary-Ellen told the Manchester Evening News: “The whole thing has been awful, but it has been like that since the beginning of the pandemic.

Image: The Creameries
Image: The Creameries

“There was still a chance we were going to make a sale. We had three consecutive buyers who were very close, and then backed away,” she continued.

“The longer the economic instability has gone on, the more and more nervous [buyers] have been. 

“In September 2019, we started operating just as a restaurant, doing tasting menus, and it was working so well,” she said. “We had a brilliant Jay Rayner review, it was packed, we were making money, not just keeping afloat. Then the pandemic hit, and we’ve been f**ked since then.”

Read more: Eat Well: The restaurant-backed charity feeding hidden homeless families in Manchester

The former Edwardian Dairy was first opened in 2018 by the esteemed Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague as a bakery and natural wine bar serving a selection of pickles and small plates.

It later switched to operating as a restaurant, serving tasting menus that proved very popular with punters, before – like the rest of hospitality – it was forced to close in early 2020 as the country went into lockdown.

Image: The Creameries
Image: The Creameries

When it reopened, it tried a few different things before introducing Campagna, an affordable Italian menu that, whilst popular, didn’t manage to keep bringing in the footfall in the long term.

It appears that a new tenant has secured the site, although further details surrounding the operator are currently being kept under wraps.

“We tried so hard. To adapt and survive, and it just didn’t work,” Mary-Ellen added.

Read more: The Manchester Food and Drink Festival award winners 2022

“Pre-pandemic it was really, really, really hard to get to the point where more money was going in than coming out. Restaurants don’t talk about it a lot, but if you ask people off the record, most will say that getting to the point where you’ve done slightly better than break even, that’s a strong month.

“Things went from challenging to just completely impossible.”

Read more: One of Manchester’s first vegan restaurants has closed its doors for good

Going forward, Mary-Ellen will focus her efforts on her restaurant-backed community project Eat Well MCR, which feeds hidden homeless families in Manchester and has to date delivered over 70,000 meals to people in need.

She will also continue to work on the new Treehouse Hotel opening, which is expected to open in Manchester city centre in early 2023.

Feature image – The Creameries

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Massive queue forms FOUR HOURS ahead of Wagamama katsu curry giveaway

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Wagamama is giving away free katsu curries today – and a massive queue has already formed.

The popular restaurant’s site on St Peter’s Square in Manchester city centre has a long line of people eagerly hoping to snap up a free lunch.

The giveaway has been launched in celebration of National Katsu Curry Day, with restaurants right across England, Scotland and Wales taking part.

In Manchester city centre alone, there are Wagamama restaurants at St Peter’s Square, Spinningfields and Printworks – not to mention the six more scattered across Greater Manchester boroughs.

The free curry dishes won’t be given out until 3pm on Tuesday 27 September – but already by 11am there were dozens standing in line in town.

Niko Omilana with a katsu curry. Credit: Wagamama
The huge queue outside Wagamama in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

With only 50 katsu dishes per Wagamama restaurant up for grabs, handed out on a first-come first-serve basis, it’s looking like the early queueing will be totally necessary.

The freebies are also only available to students who have registered with the new Wagamama Noodle Union, a new student society, which is being fronted by YouTuber Niko Omilana.

Read more: The Manchester Food and Drink Festival award winners 2022

Niko said: “As one of my first acts as noodle union president, I’m proud to announce free katsu to mark National Katsu Curry Day – a day to celebrate across the nation as we come together in honour of all things katsu.

“Make sure to sign up to the noodle union so that you don’t miss out on a free katsu curry and other epic prizes throughout the year!”

Wagamama will give away 50 free katsu dishes per restaurant for dine-in, and diners can choose from chicken, yasai, vegatsu or hot.

Featured image: The Manc Group

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