A huge second-hand shop has opened in Manchester city centre and has already become the talk of the town.
Bare Necessities has taken over the former LOFT showroom on High Street, where you’ll find up to 20,000 items of pre-loved clothing on sale at any one time.
The thrift shop specialises in sourcing high-quality used clothing, which is then expertly cleaned and put back on sale as an affordable price.
And it really is affordable – prices start from just £1.
You’ll find row upon row of denim, coats, knitwear, t-shirts, skirts, and accessories, including a rainbow display of tops that greets shoppers as they come in.
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There’s even a whole section of ski clothing, crochet blankets, and fancy dress items.
Inside Bare Necessities / Credit: The Manc Group
Brands like Carhartt, Tommy Hilfiger, Dickies and Barbour are all stocked alongside items like patchwork crop-tops, that have been repurposed from other fabrics.
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Bare Necessities says: “Our mission is to source our forward-thinking customers with the highest quality of used clothing at the lowest possible price.
“Slow fashion shouldn’t break the bank, and only when second-hand fashion becomes more affordable will there be a larger shift towards the used clothing industry.”
The team who work there individually source clothes from piles of second-hand items that are heading for landfill.
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The items are given a full facelift, from de-bobbling knitwear to fixing zips and pockets to being washed and ironed.
Bare Necessities will also rescue damaged clothing and reuse the fabric as much as possible.
Inside Bare Necessities / Credit: The Manc Group
Since the pop-up shop opened in the last few weeks, dozens of people have been sharing TikToks and social media posts of their hauls.
TikTok user Francesca Perks’ video from the store has now gained hundreds of thousands of views.
She described it as the ‘best thrift haul of my life’ and said it was ‘like no other’, before revealing two bulging bags containing a £30 coat, a knitted red jumper, and one of the aforementioned crochet blankets.
One person commented: “Omg this place seems magical,” and another said: “Literally no idea where this place is but we must go for my sanity.”
Someone else said: “I’ve been debating going but now I’m SOLD.”
Bare Necessities is now open on High Street in Manchester city centre.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Shopping
Manchester Storm announce partnership with USAsports including NHL pop-ups and more
Danny Jones
Manchester Storm have announced a landmark new deal with USAsports, a dedicated home for British fans of North American sporting disciplines and global merchandising suppliers, which will see various exciting events this upcoming season.
Confirming the collaboration ahead of the pending 2026/27 campaign, this crossover will involve everything from special pop-up events to player sponsorships and much more.
USAsports specialise in officially licensed NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB clothing, and while you may have seen the odd jersey here and there at various Greater Manchester locations, they are now gearing up to work with Manchester Storm to deliver better exposure.
Whether you’re just a die-hard member of the Storm Shelter or an ex-pat who still follows an NHL franchise overseas, kit collecting and the fascination surrounding limited edition team jumpers is a big part of ice hockey fandom and culture not just here in the UK but around the world.
Sharing their own announcement, they wrote: “Manchester Storm are thrilled to announce a new partnership with USAsports for the 2026/27 Motorpoint Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) season as the club embarks on an exciting new chapter at the AO Arena.
“As part of the partnership, USAsports will sponsor a Manchester Storm player throughout the season and deliver multiple NHL Pop-Up Shop events at Storm home games during the forthcoming campaign.”
On the subject of sponsorship, commercial entities are the only people who will be given the opportunity to back big players this term, as Storm are once again bringing back their ‘own-and-loan’ scheme.
Speaking on working closely with their new partners, the club’s General Manager, Ryan Finnerty, added: “We’re delighted to have USAsports on board for the 2026/27 season.
“Their passion for the fan experience really stood out to us, and their NHL Pop-Up Shops throughout the season will be a fantastic addition to game days at the AO Arena.
“We’re looking forward to working together throughout what promises to be a very exciting season.”
As casual fans here at The Manc, we’ll admit that watching the growing buzz around the resurgent ice hockey team, especially ahead of their Manchester city centre ‘homecoming’, has got us amped to dive deeper into the sport when it gets back underway next month. We’re not the only ones, either…
Aldi on Market Street is closed and Mancs say ‘that’s ruined my f***in day’
Daisy Jackson
Aldi on Market Street is something of a Manchester legend, and often for the wrong reasons.
Easily one of the busiest, noisiest, most overwhelming places in the city centre, it’s nevertheless a lifeline for those who live and work in town.
Where else are you buying an aubergine and a tin of spaghetti hoops on the busiest shopping street in the North West, on a not-quite-payday-yet budget?
So you can imagine the small panic that’s rippled around Manchester when shoppers have arrived to the Market Street Aldi to find it closed.
Huge sheets of brown paper have been tacked into the windows and the shutters pulled firmly down for the last couple of weeks, leaving people to face the walk to the Aldi in Ancoats or – worse – Lidl on Piccadilly Gardens.
One person (whose username is, fittingly, Anxious Pirate) posted on Reddit: “Freaking out, what’s happened to Aldi Arndale?”
Meanwhile, a Tiktok video said: “Great Ancoats Street Aldi is going to be rammed. Niche but I’m sure others will feel my pain.”
Aldi on Market Street is currently closed
In the comment section, one person asked: “I need to know why this wasn’t a bbc breaking news update”
Another said: “That’s just ruined my f**kin day.”
And someone else joked: “Just say you hate me and want me dead fgs.”
The good news is that the Aldi on Market Street hasn’t closed for good, and is just one of 25 stores undergoing a much-needed refurb.
The bad news is that’s going to take a while – the Manchester city centre Aldi isn’t set to reopen until 28 August.
Daisy Jackson -
16th September 2022 
