A little independent lifestyle store tucked away on Northern Quarter side street is marking a milestone birthday this weekend.
And there’s freebies up for grabs for 20 lucky shoppers.
It’s been six years since Form Lifestyle Store moved into its unique space on the hidden Bradley Street, just around the corner from the bustling Stevenson Square, and what a six years its been – so, in a bid to properly mark the occasion, the small independent business is planning to thank customers for their support with a day of celebrations this weekend.
The first 20 shoppers who head on down to the Northern Quarter store tomorrow (30 September) will be given a free goody bag full of handmade items and thoughtfully-made goods.
Form says these items “embody the belief” it’s always held of supporting independent makers.
Popular Manchester lifestyle store to celebrate its birthday with FREE goodie bags / Credit: Form Lifestyle Store
The shop will be open from 11am to 5pm tomorrow, and is inviting all customers – both returning and new – to join for the celebrations.
As well as the birthday celebrations, some new arrivals from independent makers will also be on show for the first time, and Form’s long-awaited ‘Found Forms’ collection of vintage and pre-loved homewares will also be making their way onto the shelves.
This means that anyone visiting on Saturday will have first dibs on these treasures too.
While you’re feasting your eyes on the stunning collection of homewares and lifestyle goods, there’ll also be an actual feast, as Form has organised for there to be a wide range of refreshments from local businesses on offer for shoppers to tuck into.
Remaining true to its ethos of “supporting small”, you can expect natural wine from Isca, and locally-brewed Kombucha from Laid Bear, as well as tasty handmade baked treats from The Palms Bakery and Companio.
“We’ve been in our beautiful space for six years now and we’d love for our customers to join us in the shop for a little celebration,” said Form’s founder Elly ahead of the milestone event tomorrow.
“If you’re a regular customer, one of our makers, someone who hasn’t visited in years, or someone who has never quite found our hidden little street, we’d love for you to join us”.
If you’re keen to join the celebrations, you’ll want to head on down to Form Lifestyle Store on Bradley Street in the Northern Quarter tomorrow from 11am.
You can find out more about the little gem of a shop here.
Featured Image – Form Lifestyle Store
Shopping
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.
Emily Sergeant -
29th September 2023 
