Shopping

Popular Manchester lifestyle store Form to celebrate its birthday with FREE goodie bags this weekend

Form Lifestyle Store is, quite literally, celebrating in style.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 29th September 2023

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.

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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.

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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. 

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“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”.

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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

Pets at Home to pause the sales of rabbits at all UK stores over Easter to stop ‘impulsive’ buying

Emily Sergeant 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.”

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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 Emily Sergeant Cheshire Oaks shopping

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.”

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Keen to enter then? You have until the end of this week to get your entries in, as the competition closes this Sunday (20 April).

The winners will be chosen and contacted on Monday 21 April, so keep your eyes peeled.

Featured Image – Cheshire Oaks

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