Shopping

A look inside the brand-new M&S Trafford Centre ‘mega store’ as it finally opens its doors

It's taken over the former Debenhams unit, and promises shoppers “an even bigger and better store”.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 1st December 2023

It’s been a long time coming… but the brand-new M&S at the Trafford Centre has finally opened its doors to the public.

And the first look images of the place prove it’s just as swanky as we were expecting.

In case you hadn’t heard, after it was revealed all the way back in January that M&S would be relocating from its old unit and taking over the former Debenhams site inside the Greater Manchester shopping centre, the retailer’s brand-new Trafford Centre store welcomed its first customers yesterday.

The new ‘mega store’ officially threw open its doors yesterday (30 November) at 10am, and it’s all just in time for Christmas, so shoppers can get stuck in to buying all their festive food and gifts before the big day arrives.

The brand-new M&S at the Trafford Centre has finally opened its doors / Credit: Supplied

Having opened as part of M&S‘ ongoing plans and wider investment to regenerate vacant sites in major UK shopping centres, the new M&S Trafford Centre store spans across a whopping 98,000 sq ft of commercial space.

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Promising shoppers “an even bigger and better store”, there’s huge new “spacious and stylish” Clothing, Home, and Beauty departments, as well as a brand-new M&S Cafe, and the star of the show being the all-new “market style” Food Hall – which stocks the full M&S Food range, and has “wider and brighter aisles”, with free designated car parking to make shopping “more convenient”.

Percy Pig was on-hand to welcome shoppers to the new store, with the first 200 customers through the door handed ‘golden tickets’.

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Every golden ticket holder was guaranteed a win. whether that be a free bag of Percy Pigs, freshly-baked cookies from the new M&S Bakery, or something even bigger – with one lucky customer even bagging a £200 M&S voucher to take home.

It promises shoppers “an even bigger and better store” / Credit: Supplied

180 new jobs have been created by the opening of the new store, and staff at M&S’ former Trafford Centre store have also transferred over to the new location.

The store is led by Store Manager, Laura Smith, along with a team of 420 M&S colleagues.

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Soaking up the opening day celebrations, Laura said: “We are thrilled to officially open our brand-new store in the Trafford Centre. The last few weeks have been so exciting for us all as we’ve seen the store take shape, and I’d like to thank everyone in the team for all their hard work to make sure everything is ready for our customers today.

“The store is an exciting investment in the future of M&S in Trafford, and I can’t wait for our customers to explore all the new features that the store has to offer.”

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The new M&S Trafford Centre store is now open from 8am-10pm Monday to Friday, 8am-9pm on Saturday, and 12-6pm on Sunday.

Featured Image – Supplied

Shopping

Northern Rail have announced their latest flash sale with train tickets available from just £2

Danny Jones Danny Jones Northern Rail train tickets flash sale

Finally, we’ve got some good news on the train lines once again, as Northern Rail has just announced the return of their fantastic flash sale, which sees literally millions of discounted tickets made available to the general public.

With the last promotion from Northern having delighted Brits up and down the country, the train company are once again offering affordable tickets, with prices starting from just £2.

The only catch is that you’ve got just a few days to make the most of the savings.

Confirming the flash sale across the Northern Assist social media accounts, the rail operator has now detailed both start and end dates, as well as the valid travel dates.

Sharing more details in a full press release, Northern has revealed that a whopping three MILLION £2 tickets are now up for grabs.

The 2025 Northern flash sale began at 8am this Tuesday, 30 September, with thousands of train journeys having already been booked.

A full list of all the routes with cut-price tickets on until Thursday, 2 October can be found HERE.

According to Northern, the top destinations with the most tickets available in Northern’s Flash Sale are as follows:

  • Manchester and Manchester Airport
  • Leeds
  • Bolton
  • Preston
  • Manchester Airport
  • Blackpool North
  • Shipley
  • Rochdale
  • Stockport
  • Bradford
  • Sheffield
  • Wigan Wallgate
  • Hebden Bridge
  • Blackburn
  • Meadowhall
  • Liverpool Lime Street
  • Skipton
  • Wilmslow
  • Doncaster
  • Ilkley
  • Hull
  • Wakefield Westgate

Although it remains an ever-essential network and the UK’s second-largest national rail service, the PR around Northern isn’t always positive when it comes to efficiency, quality and reliability.

Their estimated 2,650 daily lines across more than 500 stations often come under fire, especially in comparison to public transport down towards the capital.

Andy Burnham calls for ‘efficient and reliable’ public transport as he slams Northern rail services

With all that being said, the arrival of the latest Northern flash sale is a much-needed plus for the firm.

Commenting on this week’s flash sale, Northern’s commercial and customer director, Alex Hornby, said: “With three million tickets up for grabs, there’s something for everyone in Northern’s Flash Sale.

For our existing customers, it’s the perfect opportunity to visit somewhere new, and hopefully, we can encourage those who don’t currently use the train to give it a try.

We believe the Flash Sale will inspire everyone to explore everything our fantastic region has to offer, from bustling cities to the countryside and stunning coastlines. Customers will need to book early to avoid disappointment – once they’re gone, they’re gone!” You can grab your tickets online NOW.

Once again, the Northern Rail flash sale runs for just three days and closes this Thursday, 2 October, with tickets valid for travel strictly between Monday, 6 October and Friday, 24 October 2025. 

Tickets can be bought on Northern’s app, online, at ticket offices and on ticket machines in stations managed by Northern – please make sure to check terms and conditions.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Publicity picture/El Pollock (via Geograph)

Shopping

Co-op opens new store dedicated entirely to ‘food on the go’ in Greater Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Bit of a sucker for a meal deal? Well Co-op has probably just launched your perfect concept then.

The supermarket has grown its brand-new ‘on the go’ micro store format with the opening of a new site right here in Greater Manchester, located in the ever-growing Stamford Quarter over in Altrincham.

Co-op’s ‘on the go’ concept is dedicated to serving food to take away and eat on the go by offering breakfast, lunch, and tea in a range of exciting new formats – from traditional meal deals, right through to the inclusion of a hot food counter and deli-inspired selections.

According to the retailer, the new Altrincham store has ‘taken cues’ from around the world to meet consumer demand for fast, high-quality food all throughout the day.

Co-op has opened a new store dedicated entirely to ‘food on the go’ in Greater Manchester / Credit: Richard Grange (Supplied)

Open right from 7am through to 7pm, breakfast is served first and foremost, before transitioning to lunch and then onto tea – or dinner, if you’re fancy – with the quick and convenient online home delivery also available all day long too.

After 7pm, this is when the store makes the move to online trading only, which most-importantly includes Co-op’s Irresistible Pizzas delivery service, where the pizzas are cooked and delivered in the community in minutes via Co-op’s partners Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats.

Co-op says it has grand plans to roll-out this new format of store in other high footfall locations across the UK.

The new micro store serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as delivery food / Credit: Richard Grange (Supplied)

“The whole team is excited to launch our new concept store in the Stamford Quarter,” commented Gary Williams, who is the Director of Store Optimisation at the Co-op.

“We continually look for new ways to get closer to our customers and deliver added convenience, and our new concept brings together an innovative blend of food-to-go propositions, with freshly prepared products designed to stand out in this vibrant and thriving community.

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“Whether in store or online, we cater to ‘on-the-go’ meals throughout the day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner you will find delicious products, quick service, quality and value, and all in a great convenient location.”

Featured Image – Richard Grange (Supplied)

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