An enormous Korean supermarket, Oseyo, is ready to open the doors to shoppers in the Manchester Arndale tomorrow.
The 13,000 sq ft Asian superstore is Oseyo’s largest in the UK to date, taking over the old H&M site inside the city centre.
For its official launch tomorrow (Saturday 20 July), they’ll be giving away 500 free VIP tote bags to the first customers through the doors from 11am.
Each tote bag will be stuffed with the biggest, most popular and most viral products from across Korea.
The Manc has snuck in today for an early look at the new Oseyo Manchester store, and the huge space has been decorated beautifully with bright lights and curved natural wooden ceilings.
As well as stocking some of the biggest Korean food brands, the new shop has a bakery section, Korean ice cups, cosmetics, ceramics, toys, stationery, and even a photobooth with two different themed rooms.
Oseyo, which translates as ‘Welcome’, is already a well-known name in Manchester, thanks to its successful Oxford Road store which opened in 2019.
This new location is the largest Asian supermarket in the north, and five times the size of its existing location across town.
Oseyo Manchester has aisles packed with Korean food and drink. Credit: The Manc GroupOseyo stocks viral products like Pokemon soft drinks Credit: The Manc Group
Inside the massive new superstore, shoppers will find brands of noodles, dumplings, dried seaweed and veg, snacks, powder and mixes, sauces and spices, tea, rice and grains, plus drinks including Rice Wine and Soju in original and flavoured variations and non-alcoholic beverages.
You’ll be able to shop popular Korean brands like Bibigo Mandu Dumplings, Samyang Spicy Noodles, Melona Ice Pops (honeydew/ coconut & mango ice creams), KSD Rice Wine, Hitejinro Soju, Lotte Milkis, and Jongga Kimchi.
There’ll also be a chilled and frozen section with exotic vegetables, Korean-style BBQ cuts, and prepared side dishes.
In the Korean bakery you’ll be able to buy everything from fresh Pandan Cake to viral mango pancakes, as well as Red Bean Buns (Dahn Paht Jjinppang), and Baked Custard Bread (Cream Pan).
Kewpie mayo in Oseyo Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupThe photobooth at Oseyo. Credit: The Manc GroupPopular ice cups, where you buy the cup of ice then add your own soda, at Oseyo. Credit: The Manc Group
Another viral product available at the new Oseyo Manchester store will be Korean ice cups, where you purchase a cup of ice from the freezer then add in whatever flavoured drink you fancy.
Beyond the food, you’ll be able to pick up Cuckoo electric rice cookers, Korean cosmetics and facemasks, and Korean ceramics, including rice bowls, dipping bowls and dishes.
ARTBOX, famed Korean toy and stationery supplier, will also be stocked in one of the UK’s largest selections packed with everything from character goods, such as Sanrio and BT21, to homeware and kitchenware like blankets, chopsticks and mugs, plus K-pop themed socks.
The superstore will have ‘Oseyo Snaps’, a Korean photobooth with viral customisable, editable and printable takeaway pictures available across two themes – Gangnam Nightclub and Hongdae Café.
Isaac Kweon from Oseyo said: “We’ve received lots of love and support with our existing store in Manchester. The Oseyo team is pulling out all the stops for this megastore in the Arndale, it will definitely be a must-visit destination for all Mancunians.
Oseyo in Manchester Arndale is the brand’s biggest UK store to date. Credit: The Manc GroupOseyo in Manchester Arndale opens tomorrow. Credit: The Manc Group
“Korean foods are in high demand, particularly with the rise of Asian cooking driven through the TikTok generation. In Manchester, there is certainly a demand for an Asian supermarket of this size. The variety of products within our Arndale store is unmatched.
“We anticipate trending foods including Korean ice cup drinks, mango pancakes, and famed, Samyang Carbonara Noodles, will pull in customers from across the North and beyond.”
David Allinson, Centre Director at Manchester Arndale, said: “We are really excited to welcome Oseyo to Manchester Arndale as we know it will be a major hit with our shoppers. We place great importance on creating an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants to cater for Manchester’s diverse tastes, so Oseyo is a great addition to our lineup.”
Doors open at 11am on Saturday 20 July, with Oseyo management encouraging Mancunians to get down before 9am with customer queues expected out the doors for the store’s grand opening.
New Haribo shop to open in Trafford Centre with pick n mix station featuring over 40 varieties of sweets
Emily Sergeant
HARIBO UK has announced plans to open an exciting new store here in Greater Manchester.
The store – which will be the confectionery giant’s thirteenth location in the UK – is set to be celebration of HARIBO’s ‘spirit of childlike happiness’ once it opens its doors over at the Trafford Centre, and Manchester fans will soon be able to shop a delicious selection of all Haribo treats.
There’ll be everything from familiar favourites like Starmix and Tangfastics, to exciting new products such as Nostalgix and Alienauts.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy international varieties of Haribo too, all without having to venture to another country – whether it be Haribo Favoritos and Watermelon from Spain, Haribo Dragibus and Tagada from France, or Haribo liquorice Schnecken from Germany.
A new Haribo shop is set to open in Trafford Centre / Credit: Dan Cristian Padure | Jacqueline Brandwayn (via Unsplash)
To bring back the old-fashioned pleasure of being in a sweet shop, there’ll even be a ‘Pick Your Mix’ station, featuring more than 40 varieties of HARIBO and MAOAM treats to choose from, and in addition to the sweets themselves, the store will also be filled with exclusive HARIBO merchandise, such as plushies, stationery, candles, and more.
Haribo’s most recent opening was in Bluewater, and there’ll be a new site popping up in Glasgow later this month, before the Trafford Centre store opens its doors.
“We’re thrilled to be opening a HARIBO UK store in Manchester’s Trafford Centre,” commented Rebecca Fox, who is the Head of Retail at HARIBO UK.
“Our stores are a way to share even more moments of childlike happiness with HARIBO fans and we can’t wait for Manchester’s HARIBO-lovers and visitors to join in the fun.”
There’ll be a ‘pick you mix’ station featuring over 40 different varieties of sweets / Credit: Luis Aguila (via Unsplash)
Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, added: “We’re excited to welcome HARIBO to Trafford Centre, with a store that promises to deliver a super-sweet experience that cannot be matched online, delighting visitors of all ages.
“We’re confident that our visitors will love this new brand-new store, which will prove another fantastic addition to the centre.”
There’s no opening date for the Trafford Centre store confirmed just yet, so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – Supplied
Shopping
Aldi has launched limited-edition gender reveal Cuthbert caterpillar cakes
Emily Sergeant
Is it a boy or a girl? No it’s a limited-edition Cuthbert.
That’s right, in an ode to the ever-growing trend of gender reveal parties, and to coincide with September being the month that most babies are born in, Aldi has decided to give its iconic Cuthbert Cake a very special makeover for a limited time only.
Designed to offer expectant parents the ultimate way to reveal the gender of their child, this special Cuthbert is now available via an exclusive shopper competition.
The limited-edition cake will be completely free for those lucky enough to get their hands on it.
Decorated with blue and pink chocolate beans, the exclusive new cake has two versions of filling, just as you’d expect – one with pink buttercream icing (for a girl), and blue buttercream icing (for a boy).
The launch of the gender reveal Cuthberts comes after recent research from Aldi has revealed that 58% of millennial Brits have celebrated gender reveal moments, and 48% of Gen Z having attended an average of three gender reveal parties in the last five years – with cake found to be the most popular method of revealing a baby’s gender.
Cake was found to be more popular than balloons, confetti, or fireworks, making it twice as popular much as any other gender reveal option.
And that’s not all either, as following the news that traditional baby names have been seeing a decline in popularity among expectant parents in favour of more unique options, 5% of Brits even admitted that they would consider naming their child Cuthbert after the budget supermarket retailer’s icon.
Aldi has launched limited-edition gender reveal Cuthbert caterpillar cakes / Credit: Aldi
Want to win a gender reveal Cuthbert then?
Shoppers just need to send an email detailing their full name, why they or a loved one would be the ideal recipient of this cake, the address of their closest Aldi store, and the gender of their baby to [email protected].
The competition will open until 11:59pm on 14September, and the lucky winners will be notified of their win via email by 28 September.
Daisy Jackson -
19th July 2024 
