Back in the day, vending machines used to be for one thing – snacks.
But nowadays – especially in countries like Japan – you can buy just about anything from one of the huge gadgets.
Hot meals, groceries, cocktails, milk, gifts, toiletries, you name it, you can buy it without setting foot in a shop or speaking to a single human.
It was only a matter of time until Manchester got in on the vending machine action, and there are some very high-tech options springing up around the Arndale.
The first that caught our eye in this huge shopping centre is a robot machine selling candy floss creations.
At the touch of a few buttons and depositing £5.20 of your hard-earned cash, a robotic arm will spin sugar into flowers, love hearts, and stars, in an array of pretty pastel colours, before politely handing it back to you through a cat flap.
Located right in the corner of the Manchester Arndale’s food court (bewilderingly close to the toilets), this flashing neon attraction is definitely about as cute as vending machines come.
But it’s not alone.
Down in the main shopping area, just outside Next, stands another pink machine, this time filled with beauty products.
A vending machine selling false lashes in the Manchester ArndaleA vending machine selling false lashes in the Manchester Arndale
There are false eyelashes disguised as cheese and onion crisps, lipglosses dangling on a keychain, eyebrow gels, lip oils, and false lashes in just about every shape, size, colour and volume you could think of.
They’re cheaper than a lot of lashes too, with pairs starting at £3.
Right next to this is another machine where you can rent a power bank for charging your phone.
Not too long ago there was a cupcake vending machine right outside Wilko (RIP), but in all the months it was there I never once saw it operating.
It’s now been replaced by a Marvel arcade machine.
A toy vending machineAnd a false nails vending machine next to it
But just around the corner opposite one of Manchester’s many Subways is another row of pastel-hued flashing vending machines.
One sells items for as much as £23. And what do you get for that? A toy.
This one is the ECTOYS Robo Shop, where you can buy collectable characters like Hello Kitty, Shinwoo and Farmer Bob, plus adorable pandas undertaking different activities.
And just next to that is another beauty-focused vending machine, this one specalising in press-on nails.
Prices for the false talons range from £4.99 to £8.99.
Oasis merch prices as huge flagship stand opens in Manchester city centre
Daisy Jackson
An official Oasis merch stand has opened in the heart of Manchester, selling all the Gallagher-printed wares your heart could desire.
The Oasis Live ‘25 Touring Flagship Stand has sprung up on St Peter’s Square today, where it will remain for the duration of the Manchester reunion shows.
Stacked with everything from band tees to bucket hats, plus posters, tote bags, and that exclusive adidas x Oasis collection, the merch stand is already pulling in some serious queues.
And with a few days still to go until Oasis Live ‘25 hits Heaton Park (those dates, if they aren’t burned into your brain, are 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July) there’s still plenty more time to shop.
The merch stand has opened in addition to the official merch fan store across town in Spinningfields.
And it’s at the heart of the Music for the Senses art trail, which has seen painted guitar artworks installed all over the city centre.
Back to that Oasis merch stand in Manchester though – there are pieces from their adidas collection, including a sky blue (obviously) three-stripe long-sleeved jersey for £55, a tour jacquard football jersey for £85, and a classic Firebird track top for £90.
Event-specific merch like t-shirts in various colours emblazoned with the Oasis Live ‘25 artwork will set you back £40, and you can choose from photos of the brothers back together in 2025, or back in their pre-split heyday.
Oasis merch prices as huge flagship stand opens in Manchester city centre
There’s also a £70 black hoody with the tour dates on the sleeve, plus a What’s The Story blue-tone hoody for £70, and a blue tone sweatshirt for £50.
A range of posters starring Liam and Noel are priced at £40 apiece.
There’s an Oasis Live ‘25 tote bag for sale at the merch stand in town, which costs £20.
Then the most Manc item of all – a reversible bucket hat (black on one side with the Oasis logo in the centre, or a collage of Oasis logos on the other side) – is £35.
The stand is home to city-specific event items, exclusive adidas lines, and other exclusives.
The Oasis Live ’25 Touring Flagship Stand is open from 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 6pm on Sundays, then 10am to 7pm on Oasis show days.
Levi’s are the latest fashion brand to launch an Oasis collection
Danny Jones
In case you missed it amid the tidal wave of merch currently flooding our feeds and shops everywhere, global fashion brand Levi’s has become the latest label to launch an Oasis collection.
With the Live ’25 world tour now officially underway, it feels like not only are Oasis back on top, but that there’s a large-scale Britpop revival happening here in the UK and overseas.
In terms of fashion, the 1990s and early 2000s style has been steadily making its way into contemporary culture once again in recent years, but with seemingly every big name trying to hop on the marketing machine that is the Oasis reunion bandwagon, you can’t move for crossover.
Be they official collaborations like the one with Manchester City, adidas Originals; American fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch bashing out merch, or a local t-shirt maker on Bury Market, that famous logo is absolutely everywhere – cue Levi’s latest launch:
Releasing just five or five main pieces (not including individual item variations), Levi’s Oasis gear has been kept pretty straightforward, simply relying on a less is more philosophy and the quality that the denim specialists are renowned for.
Nevertheless, there is an undeniably 90s feel to the approach.
As well as the standard Oasis band tee design, available in the brand’s main red, white and blue colour, as well as black, white and light blue – the Manchester City influences never stray too far, after all – there are a couple of other types of tee.
However, while we’re sure plenty of people might have a penchant for the parka, the undeniable star of the show for us is the Type II Trucker Jacket with the group’s name and ‘Live Forever’ stitched on the breast pocket.
Still, at £170, these sure-to-be collectors’ items don’t come cheap, and that’s not even the most expensive in the Levi’s x Oasis collection. Regardless, if you fancy treating yourself, you can find them here in Manchester and at the likes of The Trafford Centre.
Any of it pique your interest?
Don’t worry if not because, as mentioned, there is absolutely tonnes of Oasis clobber at various different price points all over the place at the minute.
Daisy Jackson -
17th February 2024 
