Sports Direct has opened its brand-new, high-tech store inside the Manchester Arndale today – and it’s seriously impressive.
The five-storey flagship shop for the sports retailer is packed with interactive features, from fitness challenges to a bra-fitting studio.
The high-tech space has gadgets that will do everything from accurately measuring your foot size to testing your strength.
There’s even a bank of gaming PCs and consoles on the top floor, as a Belong Gaming Arena opens within the new Sports Direct shop.
Here, gamers can buy a single pass or sign up for unlimited play time for £15 a month, grabbing drinks from a slushy machine and snacks from a shop area.
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Sports Direct has taken over what was once the BHS department store within Manchester Arndale, a 50,000 sq ft site that’s been largely empty since 2016. It’s moved across from its previous unit just around the corner.
The display at the entrance. Credit: The Manc Group
Shoppers are immediately greeted by a DJ booth, a mirrored ceiling and rack after rack of sportswear.
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Brands including Adidas, Nike and Puma are all stocked, as expected, alongside other Frasers Group brands like Jack Wills and USC.
Game has a huge presence up on the top floor, where shoppers can also get their clothing purchases customised.
Click or swipe through the gallery below to see more from Manchester’s new Sports Direct store
Sports Direct Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc GroupThe bra studio. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Belong Gaming Arena. Credit: The Manc GroupA wall of balls. Credit: The Manc GroupThe putting challenge. Credit: The Manc GroupDiving mannequins. Credit: The Manc GroupManchester City kits. Credit: The Manc GroupAnother challenge in Sports Direct Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupGame. Credit: The Manc GroupPS5s in Sports Direct Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupSpecialist boxing clothing. Credit: The Manc GroupYou can get items customised in store. Credit: The Manc GroupHockey equipment. Credit: The Manc GroupA strength challenge. Credit: The Manc GroupJack Wills. Credit: The Manc GroupThe women’s floor. Credit: The Manc Group
There’s kit on sale for every sport from hiking to running to skateboarding to hockey to cycling to fishing to boxing to tennis to rugby to golf to swimming, plus a huge astroturfed area dedicated to football.
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In the football zone, you can try on a massive range of football boots while sitting in dugout-inspired seats, with rival mannequins dressed in City and United kits propped up on rotating plinths.
It’s not just about the shopping in here either. Sports Direct has brought a whole load of interactive games and challenges to Manchester.
You can test your golf skills at a Putting Challenge, flex your footwork at a miniature sit-down football pitch, and show off your upper body strength by doing dead hangs from a bar for as long as possible.
The bra studio features a unique multi-brand bra finder tool, which can suggest the right size and shape for your sport, whatever brand you go for.
Sports Direct’s Chief Executive Michael Murray said: “Manchester is a significant location for the group, and we’re excited to be opening our next flagship in the city.”
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The huge new Sports Direct store in the Manchester Arndale is open now.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Shopping
Pets at Home to pause the sales of rabbits at all UK stores over Easter to stop ‘impulsive’ buying
Emily Sergeant
Pets at Home has announced that it will be pausing the sale and adoption of rabbits at all its UK stores over Easter.
The pet supplies retailer has more than 460 stores nationwide, selling everything from pet food and healthcare, to accessories, veterinary services, and in some cases, even the animals themselves… but once this upcoming bank holiday weekend rolls around, some of the retailer’s animals won’t be available to take home.
Over the extended weekend, from this Friday 18 through to Monday 21 April, Pets at Home’s rabbits will be going on their annual ‘Easter break’.
That’s because action is being taken by the company to help prevent impulse purchases and adoptions driven by the celebrations at this time of year.
It’s said to be part of the brand’s commitment to ‘encouraging responsible pet ownership’.
Pets at Home is pausing the sales of rabbits at all its UK stores over Easter / Credit: Supplied
Giving a little more insight into the decision, a spokesperson for Pets at Home explained: “Every year, we make the decision to temporarily halt rabbit sales over the Easter weekend, which is a deliberate action to discourage any impulsive choices about owning a rabbit, given their close association with this time of year.
“Rabbits make wonderful pets, however, they are not the ‘easy’ pet that they can often be thought of as.
“They have complex needs, including specialised dietary requirements and environments, and we always want to educate and encourage careful reflection on how those needs will be met before homing.”
Rabbits are expected to be available to buy and adopt at Pets at Home, once again, after the bank holiday weekend is over from Tuesday 22 April.
Featured Image – Aswathy N (via Unsplash)
Shopping
You can win a ‘shopping trip of a lifetime’ with a £3,000 budget at Cheshire Oaks
Emily Sergeant
Fancy winning a shopping trip with a £3,000 budget this summer?
In case you weren’t aware, the UK’s largest designer outlet, Cheshire Oaks, is turning 30 years old this year, and in a bid to properly mark the major milestone, has now launched an exciting search for super fans to celebrate their individual style stories and experiences from throughout the past three decades.
Since originally opening back in 1995, the iconic shopping destination has gone from strength to strength over time, having been extended on a number occasions to now boast more than 400,000 sq ft of retail space.
With over 4,000 employees and more than 21 million items sold annually across 160 stores and 19 food outlets, it’s safe to say Cheshire Oaks stands as the go-to destination in North West.
63% of Brits choose to do shop in-person over online purchases, according to a new national style report recently commissioned by Cheshire Oaks.
You can win a ‘shopping trip of a lifetime’ with a £3,000 budget at Cheshire Oaks / Credit: Cheshire Oaks
So who wouldn’t want an all-expenses-paid shopping trip here then? Thankfully, ahead of its 30th anniversary, Cheshire Oaks has launched a UK-wide birthday competition and you can now get your entries in by simply heading to the outlet mall’s website here and sharing your favourite shopping memories from over the years.
You’ll also need to include experiences of how you’ve shopped with the brand through the years, and share why it’s such as special shopping destination to you.
There’s a number of fantastic prizes available, but of course, the star of the show has to be the fully-paid shopping trip for the winner and two other family members worth £3,000 – with Cheshire Oaks looking to reward fans spanning across three generations of the same family, in-keeping with the brand’s 30 year milestone.
If you aren’t quite lucky enough to bag the top prize, entering means you may be in with a chance of winning a shopping trip led by a professional stylist instead, or perhaps a complimentary family fashion photoshoot to help capture the style stories of three generations.
“As our celebrations continue to mark the brand’s 30th anniversary, we’re excited to hear about the individual style stories from three generations of our customers,” explained Kenny Murray, who is the General Manager at Cheshire Oaks.
“The last three decades has seen us evolve, grow and innovate with the times and we’re delighted to be able to share in the celebrations with our loyal customer base and give something back to those most deserving.”
Daisy Jackson -
24th March 2023 
