Viral fitness brand Gymshark continues to go from strength to strength as they are now set to open a brand-new shop at The Trafford Centre next year.
One of the most well-known gym-wear brands on the planet right now, the company started by a student in the confines of his garage and bedroom back in 2012 is now opening just their third-ever brick-and-mortar location in the ever-busy shopping mall as their ‘IRL’ presence grows.
While it began as an online-only brand and will remain one of the most popular digital retailers for athletic apparel, with more than 10 million customers and a following of nearly double that amount on social media, it’s a pretty safe bet this store will be a welcome addition to The Trafford Centre.
Scheduled for a summer 2025 opening, this will be Gymshark‘s first location in the North so, naturally, they simply had to pick Manchester.
Gymshark Women is its own sub-brand.A glimpse at one of their two existing London locations.(Credit: Supplied)
Set to open a 7,500-square-foot unit on Upper Peel Avenue, the new Gymshark site will become home to all of their high-quality activewear, featuring a vast range of sizes, colours and styles to suit all.
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There is also set to be a number of exclusives available only at the Gymshark Trafford Centre.
Building on an already strong and long-standing relationship with the city – with Manchester hosting one of the first-ever community meet-ups in the city during their early days and greeting thousands of gymgoers to Manchester Central in 2023 at its first post-Covid event, Lift MCR – it’s a natural marriage.
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Having also recently opened a small space in Selfridges in Trafford Centre to great acclaim, General Manager of Wholesale and Retail, Hannah Mercer, says: “We’re a Brummie brand, but we look to Manchester as something of a big brother with its heritage for graft, discipline and authenticity.
She goes on to add: “It’s why we’ve had so many wonderful moments in the city […] whenever we’ve landed here, it’s been incredible. We’ve also done so much in Manchester because we know how passionate the community here is about the gym and fitness […] In short, we love Manchester and can’t wait to open our doors to our Northern community next year.”
When taking into account their ever-growing workforce and group of influencers and/or sponsored athletes, not to mention they now reach a total of 230 countries, it’s fair to say this will be a very popular arrival to the nearby shopping complex.
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Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, said of the announcement:“Gymshark is an impressive British success story with a global following, so we’re excited to welcome their first Northern, standalone store right here at Trafford Centre.
“With the activewear and athleisure market continuing to thrive, we’re confident that Gymshark will prove to be extremely popular with our visitors.”
As founder Ben Francis reiterates with every evolution of the company, “Gymshark isn’t a sports brand or an athleisure brand, it’s a gym brand. [It] prides itself on being the brand for creating the tools to help everyone achieve their very best in the gym, not just from the clothing it sells, but from the community it has built around it.”
Featured Images — Gymshark press images (supplied)
Shopping
The Boots recycling scheme where you can get £5 off every shop
Thomas Melia
UK high street retailer and healthcare shop Boots has launched an innovative recycling scheme that entitles customers to £5 off their future shopping trips.
If you’re still struggling to come up with a New Year’s resolution, why not try a spot of recycling and earn some money off your next cosmetics shop while you’re at it?
Started in 2020, the Boots Recycling Scheme allows Advantage Card holders the opportunity to get money while also being more conscious about how we recycle our used health and beauty products.
Their third-party app, Recycle at Boots, uses a ‘Scan2Recycle‘ system where users can upload items from various beauty brands by taking a picture of the empty packaging before identifying its form.
This scheme takes items that can’t usually be recycled at home, such as lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes, lipstick, mascaras, travel minis, make-up palettes and more.
Once you have five items approved, head over to your nearest participating Boots store, drop off your empties and scan the QR code on the deposit box.
After you’ve followed all these steps, a voucher will appear entitling you to 500 Advantage Points when you spend £10 in-store at your nearest location, and not only do you have £5 worth of points with your name on it, you’re also an eco-warrior.
There’s even a dedicated section of the app to recycling empty medicine and vitamin blister packs, which gives customers 100 Advantage Points when they spend £5 in-store.
Brilliant.
Credit: Publicity pictures (supplied)
Items dropped into these deposit boxes are taken to MyGroup, a recycling and waste management service which works around the clock to help divert waste from landfill.
These empties will be washed and traditionally recycled into a material called MyBoard, a construction board material most similar to plywood, with lots of different uses.
Nearest Boots locations in Manchester running the Recycle at Boots scheme:
Manchester Market Street – 32 Market Street, M1 1PL
Salford Regent Park – Regents Park, M5 3TP
Manchester Didsbury – 736-740 Wilmslow Road, M20 2DW
The Trafford Centre – 10 Peel Avenue, M17 8BD
Trafford Retail Park – Neary Way, M41 7FN
If you’re up for getting money off your next Boots splurge while also helping recycle cosmetics containers and more, you can download the Recycle at Boots app and find your nearest HERE.
Tesco reveals what the UK’s most popular meal deal was in 2025
Emily Sergeant
Tesco has revealed what the UK’s most popular meal deal combination was in 2025, and some newbies have taken the top spots.
We all know meal deals are a classic lunch option for hungry office workers and for those looking for something quick to grab on the go, and it’s fair to say Tesco’s is one of the most popular on the market – but which combination was the most popular over the past 12 months? Which meal deal was the most commonly-picked from supermarket shelves in 2025?
Well, after last year saw a change in both the main and snack categories, this time around they have stayed the same and it’s actually the drink option where we see a change.
For the second year running, the Tesco Chicken Club Sandwich was the most popular choice of main, while the Tesco Egg Protein Pot took the top snack title.
Tesco has revealed what the UK’s most popular meal deal was in 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group
It’s time, however, to wave goodbye to the Coca-Cola (500ml) bottle, which has taken the title of the nation’s favourite meal deal drink for the past three years now, and say hello to the nation’s new favourite drink… a can of Red Bull.
When it comes to the North West’s favourite combo, the snack and drink choices remain the same to the rest of the UK’s, but the main is slightly different, as we favour a Tesco Just Ham Sandwich instead.
As always, the meal deal statistics for 2025 were revealed as part of Tesco’s annual ‘Clubcard Unpacked’ series, which is basically like ‘Spotify Wrapped’ but for Clubcard customers, giving loyalty card members a unique insight into what they shopped for and how much they saved over the last year.
The series also gives Clubcard holders the chance to find out what their personal favourite meal deal combination was in 2025, and see how that compares to the rest of the nation.
You’ll just need to open your Tesco Clubcard app on your mobile to find out, or you can head to the Tesco website here and login to your account.
Results are available now for a limited time only.
As well as getting to find out their own most-bought meal deal items, this year’s video also shows Clubcard members further insights into how they shopped at Tesco last year – from their most frequently-purchased products, to how many points they saved and spent.
Danny Jones -
30th September 2024 
