Shopping

Inside Sports Direct’s new FIVE STOREY Manchester Arndale store, complete with gaming arena and sports challenges

It's unbelievably massive in here...

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 24th March 2023

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.

Sports Direct Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
The bra studio. Credit: The Manc Group
The Belong Gaming Arena. Credit: The Manc Group
A wall of balls. Credit: The Manc Group
The putting challenge. Credit: The Manc Group
Diving mannequins. Credit: The Manc Group
Manchester City kits. Credit: The Manc Group
Another challenge in Sports Direct Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Game. Credit: The Manc Group
PS5s in Sports Direct Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Specialist boxing clothing. Credit: The Manc Group
You can get items customised in store. Credit: The Manc Group
Hockey equipment. Credit: The Manc Group
A strength challenge. Credit: The Manc Group
Jack Wills. Credit: The Manc Group
The 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.

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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

You can now get a Pot Noodle as part of your Tesco meal deal

Danny Jones Danny Jones Pot Noodle on Tesco meal deal snack

If you ask us, a big key to a happy life is all about celebrating the little wins as much as possible and in this case, when we heard that you can now get a Pot Noodle as part of your Tesco meal deal, we nearly did a cartwheel.

Are we exaggerating? Only a little bit, to be fair. Is this still kind of a big deal (pardon the pun) for the millions of Brits whose lunchtime meal regularly consists of a Tesco butty, beverage and perhaps some crisps? We think so.

We only heard the joyous news through word of mouth, but it looks as though the rumours are true after being not-so-quietly confirmed via the official Pot Noodle social media channels last week, revealing that you can indeed get your flavour of choice as part of your meal deal.

And no, we don’t mean as your main…

That really is the headline here, let’s be honest; the fact that you can now get a Pot Noodle – something many people have for their tea or a more than satisfying late-night snack – as the bonus side along with your main item at Tesco it an absolute result.

With meal deal prices having steadily crept up across the nation over recent years, no matter which supermarket, Tesco Extra, Asda Express, Sainsbury’s Local, convenience store and so on you seem to look in, getting an extra bit of value for money like is a big win for those on a quick dinner dash.

This is just like when we figured out you could get a proper Ginsters sausage roll, Cornish pasty or steak/chicken slice as your snack too. Just as buzzing then as we are now.

The brand also recently revealed what the UK’s most popular meal choices were last year, and some of the selections might surprise you.

Once again, it’s all about enjoying the little things, and put it this way, if we’re overreacting, then so are plenty of others.

The only slight downside is that right now, as you might have spotted in the Instagram post above, this offer has only been rolled out at select Tescos.

As for those in Greater Manchester, there are just two local shops: the Tesco Extra in Walkden in Salford, as well as the Extra on Huddersfield Road in Bolton; the next closest after that is Warrington.

Nevertheless, you would expect that if the popularity of this new deal takes off – Tesco’s lunchtime package being one of the most popular in Britain – it’s likely that they will expand their plans up and down the country at large.

Speaking on the launch in an official press release, Pot Noodle’s senior brand Madeleine Boulton said: “We know our fans are always looking to get the most bang for their buck, so our move into the Tesco Meal Deal as a side is our way of giving customers the ultimate ‘snackisfaction’ and for some, the perfect hack that will ensure their meal deal sees them through the day.”

Can’t lie, we do rather fancy a Bombay Bad Boy now.

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group

Shopping

The free stuff your mum can get in Manchester for Mother’s Day

Danny Jones Danny Jones

If there’s one thing we know for sure it’s that none of us would be lucky enough to be on this planet were it not for our mums, and we think the least they deserve is for things to be made easy, comfortable and, ideally, free wherever possible when it comes to Mother’s Day here in Manchester.

Now, we don’t live in a perfect so unfortunately not everyone Manc mum is going to be able swan into their favourite place and expect a complimentary this and a gratis that.

However, there are guite a few places in Manchester city centre doing the right things and giving away some free stuff for Mother’s Day 2025, so we thought we’d round them up for you and, more importantly, the person who helped bring you into the world.

Let’s get into, shall we?

Six freebies mums can score in Manchester this Mother’s Day

Albert’s Schloss – Deansgate

What better to begin than with a top-notch breakfast spot? Albert’s Schloss on Peter St is not only one of the best places to start or end a day out but they also do brilliant early morning offerings. Plus, this Mother’s Day, you can wash down your Bavarian brekkie with a free spritz, because why the hell not?

You can book online now.

The Trading Route – St John’s

And since you’ve started as you mean to go on, we’d say the only thing better than an early drink (and a free one at that) is a second one, so it’s a good job one of the newest additions to Manchester, The Trading Route, is offering a free cocktail to mums this Mother’s Day.

Best of all, the new S. John’s beer and food hall is located just down the road from the main Deansgate strip and is just next to Spinningfields, so it’s a short walk from Schloss. You can book HERE.

Credit: The Manc Eats

Habbibi – Spinningfields

Speaking of which, if your and/or your mum resisted the urge to grab another bite at Trading Route (we wouldn’t blame them if they did), you could then head from St. John’s to Spinningfields and grab some a sophisticated bit of brunch as you grab your next freebie.

Habibi on Hardman Boulevard is giving away a complimentary luxury gift from home, body and beauty brand, Rituals, to those who book ahead. Consider that killing two gift-shaped birds with one stone.

Nell’s – Kampus/Northern Quarter/Chorlton

Now, we’re not necessarily expecting you stop at every single place on this list – unless your feeling extravagant or your mum really is that mega that she deserves all of this and more – but you’d be a fool not to grab yourself a margarita on the house from any Nell’s location.

Besides, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to grab a slice to further line your stomach.

Platzki – Deansgate

However, if mum hasn’t had a nibble in a hot minute then why not take her back in the direction you came from to beloved Polish restaurant, Platzki, who as well as serving an incredible main menu are also offering a free cheesecake or apple pie to all maternal diners this Mother’s Day.

Open for walk-ins as always, of course, but you can reserve your table HERE.

Credit: The Manc Group

House of Fu – Central

And last but not least, what harm would another free marg do? That’s what on the cards over at House of Fu, which just so happens to be up there with some the best ramen in Manchester if there’s still any room in that well-treated tummy.

Located on Portland Street, it’s also not too far from Picadilly, the bus station or St Peter’s Square tram stop when you and your mum are ready to call a day on this freebie parade… Or, you could always tie off the night with some karaoke downstairs. Now that’s how you put an end to a party.

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We’d like to think that half a dozen options should just about do you and your mums in central Manchester, though we’re sure there’s plenty more free things to snap up this Mother’s Day.

The cynics might want you to believe that this date is just another annual observance created, or at least perpetuated by companies to sell cards, flowers, chocolate and son, but the truth is a special day that deserves to be celebrated properly.

In fact, the truth is that Mothering Sunday started nearly 120 years ago over in Philadelphia, when a woman named Anna Jarvis wanted to honour her mother who spent her life gathering groups to promote female friendship and health during a memorial service at her late mother’s church.

We think that’s wonderful and whatever your relationship with the mother figure in your life, we reckon it’s a sentiment and motivation worth sustaining much more than just once a year.

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Much love to all our mums from The Manc, and sorry if we were ever a pain – hopefully a few drinks makes up for it.

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Rituals

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