H&M has finally brought its popular Home concept to Manchester, opening a new store at the Trafford Centre.
The shop has been given a complete overhaul and has expanded, adding in an entire department for homeware as well as its usual fashion sections.
The new-look H&M has less products on display to create a ‘warmer, more welcoming interior and relaxed environment’, which the retailer says is a UK-first.
Shoppers will finally be able to get their hands on H&M Home products in person, with everything from real plants to bath towels on sale.
Inside H&M Home at the Trafford Centre. Credit: The Manc Group
There’s a new nursery section filled with pastel-hued soft toys and furnishings, and walls filled with curtains, bedding and rugs.
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H&M has also collaborated with locals in Manchester, like interior stylist @thenorthernhome_, who was chosen to style the new store’s dining room section.
H&M’s expansion manager Chris Clare said that the brand would be partnering with local businesses across the coming months, ‘proving how committed we are to Manchester and our loyal customers there’.
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Credit: The Manc Group
He added: “We are also adding the extremely popular H&M HOME concept to the Manchester shopping agenda – which we know is loved by those in the city and region.”
H&M U.K. & Ireland country manager Toni Galli said: “The store will feature an open façade with no windows, creating a welcoming, modern and meaningful shopping experience where style, creativity and culture are celebrated.”
H&M opened its first UK store in 1976 and now has more than 200 shops across the UK and Ireland.
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H&M is collaborating with locals in Manchester, like interior stylist @thenorthernhome_. Credit: The Manc Group
It will continue its sustainability mission at the Trafford Centre store, including its Garment Collection and Recycling service – shoppers can bring in unwanted clothes and textiles to be recycled, in exchange for a digital voucher and Conscious Points.
Toni added: “We are super excited to be offering our customers a brand-new store at the Trafford Centre this Spring.
“Our aim is to offer our customers a modern and meaningful shopping experience were style, creativity and culture are celebrated, and we are confident that our new store at the Trafford Centre will offer exactly this.”
Zoe Inman, centre director at Trafford Centre, said: “The H&M reopening and expansion is such an exciting opportunity for Trafford Centre, we’re delighted to house H&M’s first of its kind concept store and design across the world.
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“The expansion of bringing H&M HOME to the centre will enhance our customers’ shopping experience and strengthen the fabulous home and interiors offering.”
Featured image: The Manc Group
Shopping
‘A step too far’: Manchester clothing brand accuses Primark of ripping off its designs
Georgina Pellant
A Manchester clothing brand has accused Primark of ripping off its designs, taking to social media to air its frustration after the high street shop released a copycat hoodie.
In a now-deleted Instagram video, local clothing retailer Hikerdelic compared a Primark ‘Explore Nature’ kid’s hoodie to one of its original designs and then highlighted how both the logos and overall aesthetic are nearly identical.
Hikerdelic’s logo features its brand name set into a grassy hill, below a pink and yellow sun with rays stretching outwards.
Primark’s design also features wording set into a grassy hill below a beaming sun, albeit this time the message reads ‘Explore Nature’ and the colour scheme is ever so slightly different using purple and coral instead of pink and yellow.
Hikerdelic’s original logo (left) and the Primark veresion (right). / Image: Hikerdelic
Hikerdelic was first founded by Proper Magazine’s Mark Smith and Neil Summers in Stockport five years ago, and the logo in question is of sentimental value – being the first that the team ever designed in partnership with artist Daren Newman.
Taking to Instagram to vent over the similarities, the caption underneath the Ancoats-based brand’s video read: “We’ve been sitting on this for a while. From time to time we find stuff out there similar to ours, but usually it’s just a case of people being influenced by similar things. It’s hard to be 100% original.
“This though, from a corporate behemoth we’re all familiar with, is a step too far, in our opinion. We’d be tempted to turn the other cheek and get on with doing our thing normally.
“Sometimes though, when someone kicks sand in your face you’ve got to let them know it’s not really on. At the end of the day it’s a business that makes hundreds of millions a year in clear profit. They don’t need to step on toes.”
The post continued: “This was the first logo we worked with @daren_newman on, and although we’ve got plenty more in our armoury, it’s the one that we began with. It’s not just us who are affected but talented independent illustrators too.”
“We all know everything new is inspired by something that has gone before and it can be difficult to stay original, however it’s clear to see this is something different to that and the response on our Instagram has backed that up.”
Feature image – Hikerdelic
Shopping
Evri voted UK’s worst parcel delivery company AGAIN in annual survey
Emily Sergeant
Evri has once again been voted the worst parcel delivery firm in the UK, according to those who voted in an annual survey.
Less than two months after the company unfortunately found itself at the bottom of the 2022 parcel league table for the second year running, meaning it was the worst-performing parcel delivery firm in the country, Evri – which famously rebranded from Hermes in March 2022 after reports of parcel mishandling – has now been handed yet another blow by customers in an annual user survey.
The company performed the worst in MoneySavingExpert’s (MSE) annual poll, which asked users to rate their experience of each delivery firm they had used during the past 12 months.
MSE asked its users to rate each company as either ‘great’, ‘OK’ or ‘poor’.
Evri rated worst parcel delivery firm in our annual service poll. 👎
More than 43,000 users took part in the annual survey, and they casted over 300,000 votes.
Out of the over 300,000 votes casted, Evri received more than 39,000 votes, with 62% rating it as ‘poor’, which is not only up from 48% in 2022, but also “significantly worse” than the other firms at the bottom of the poll, according to MSE.
39% of users rated Yodel as ‘poor’, while 22% rated UK Mail as ‘poor’.
Evri voted UK’s worst parcel delivery company again in annual survey / Credit: Evri
On the other end of the spectrum meanwhile, Amazon Logistics secured the top spot on the poll for a second year in a row, while DPD remained in close second place for a third year, followed by sister company DPD Local.
Overall, five of the 17 firms were rated better this year compared to last year’s poll, according to MSE – with UPS and Fedex UK both rising three places.
However, Royal Mail performed significantly worse this year and dropped from fourth to eighth place.
The company performed the worst in MoneySavingExpert’s annual poll / Credit: Evri
“Evri’s repackaging from Hermes early on in 2022 has clearly not helped it to shake off its past reputation,” admitted Oli Townsend from MoneySavingExpert.com.
“In fact, scoring a poorer rating than the previous year.
“While some firms have really been delivering – quite literally – others have too often fallen short, and we’ve seen many reported issues of long delays, damaged items, or parcels just not turning up at all in recent months.
“So it’s more important than ever for consumers to know their rights and use them.”
Daisy Jackson -
14th April 2022 
