Beauty fans rejoice – Sephora has finally announced plans to open a store in Manchester, and soon.
The world-famous retailer, which stops luxury skincare and makeup brands as well as cult items, has secured a spot in the Trafford Centre.
This will be the third UK store for Sephora, which currently has two shops down in London, and its first trip up north.
And after a fair bit of teasing and plenty of rumours, they’ve confirmed that their next megastore will be right here in Greater Manchester.
Hoardings have appeared inside the Trafford Centre, plastered in Sephora’s black and white branding, around a unit next to AllSaints.
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The signs read: “Manchester, you called it. Our first Northern store in 2024.”
Sephora says it will ‘redefine the beauty landscape in the North with an extraordinary product range that caters to the diverse needs of beauty enthusiasts’.
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Cult brands stocked at Sephora include Huda Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, The Ordinary, Glossier and Makeup by Mario.
Sephora wrote on Instagram: “You heard correctly — Sephora is coming to the TRAFFORD CENTRE, MANCHESTER.
“Get your shopping baskets ready as we’re on our way up north! More to be revealed soon, see you in 2024…”
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The Trafford Centre shared: “You asked, we listened! The wait is over….your @sephorauk opens late Spring 2024.”
Sarah Boyd, managing director of Sephora UK, said: “We are extremely excited to bring Sephora to Manchester, one of the most vibrant cities for beauty in the UK.
“Expanding our presence beyond London is something that consumers have been screaming out for, and we are listening hard to them when deciding where to go next.
“The Trafford Centre, known for its iconic atmosphere and diverse retail offering, is the perfect location for our third store.”
Russell Loveland, managing director at Pradera Lateral – Trafford Centre’s Asset Managers, said: “This iconic beauty giant already has a cult following, and our own social media has been blowing up with enquiries from excited customers eager for Sephora to open.
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“We are very proud Sephora chose the Trafford Centre for its next location, which will be its first store in the North of England, and know it will be a fantastic success and a great addition to our strong international brand lineup.”
One person commented on Sephora’s Instagram post: “This is the best news I’ve heard all year!”
Another said: “OMG ITS HAPPENING, STAY CALM”
And someone wrote on Trafford Centre’s post: “Omg omg can’t wait.”
Shoppers shocked to spot Easter chocolate on UK supermarket shelves before new year
Emily Sergeant
A handful of UK supermarkets have already started stocking the shelves with Easter chocolate, and shoppers are losing their minds over it.
We may be in the middle of the so-called ‘twixmas’ period right about now, with Christmas Day almost seeming like a distant memory, our minds casting forward to the new year, and nobody really having any idea what day it is… but surely time hasn’t fast forward to spring already? Well, a walk around your local supermarket might have you thinking otherwise.
The immediate days following the big day itself is usually when we see shops slash the price of the remaining Christmas chocolate in a bid to try and shift it off the shelves, and it usually means you can grab yourself a bargain if you’ve still got some sugar cravings to satisfy.
But once again this year though, just like in years previous, it appears as though some supermarkets might’ve skipped this step all together and moved straight on to selling Easter chocolate.
Well, @Tesco – the man hasn’t even been born yet and we’ve already rolled out the Easter Eggs – this is consumerism at its best. Not even 2025 yet ffs . pic.twitter.com/VIZZE7Lskg
Bags of Cadbury Mini Eggs, boxes filled to the brim with Creme Eggs, and lots of other Easter treats have been spotted on the shelves at several supermarkets nationwide, and it’s fair to say it’s left people a shocked and confused.
Many have been taking to social media to share their thoughts on the madness.
Sure, we all know us Brits do love to complain, but we can probably all agree that this time it’s warranted, right?
“It’s not even the new year and the Easter chocolate is out. Why?,” one person wrote on X, while another added on a similar note: “It’s happened already, the local stores have just put their Easter eggs out next to the Christmas gifts.”
We're in that special time of year where unsold Christmas chocolate is heavily discounted while Easter chocolates are starting to hit the shelves.
Stockport institution Yu & Me announces closure after 30+ years
Danny Jones
Stockport is preparing to say goodbye to one of its shopping veterans as the once-popular hardware store and discount retailer Yu & Me is closing after more than three decades.
The beloved bits and bobs shop catered to virtually everyone’s needs, selling everything from homeware and DIY to garden furniture and toys, as well countless other essentials and random nicknacks, serving generations of Stopfordian families to earn a legendary local reputation.
However, the “handyman’s paradise” – which has also been described as everything from “Aladdin’s Cave” and a “gold mine”, to the place you go for “everything you didn’t know you needed” – is now set to shut down for good at the start of the new year.
Announcing the closure on social media, owner Warner Yu confirmed that 5 January will be their final day of business.
Credit: Warner Yu (via Facebook)Credit: AEW Architects via SMBC planning
The shop, located on Buxton Road in Great Moor, is set to be part of the expansion plans laid out for the Co-op situated next door, with the building set to be demolished and redeveloped from the ground up following a recent planning application.
Writing in the post shared on Boxing Day, Yu said: “Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a great new year, All the best to all our wonderful Customers.
“Sorry but we will be closing down on the 5th of January 2025 as our lease has finally run out. ‘The Great Yu and Me Sale’ is now on until then. Wish you all the best and thank you for everything.”
The comments were flooded with love, support and sadness, with one person writing. “Oh no this isn’t what I wanted to read. What will I do without you guys? My heart is broken, at least your dad will be able to relax, he is a wonderful man – end of a special era.”
Another said in a lengthy response: Really awful to do this to Yu & Me honestly. Big companies like Co-op shouldn’t have [the] power to get rid of someone else’s business like this. If anything, they should at least build them their own space since… You know, it’s been there around 30/40 years. Pretty awful thing for them to do to Yu & Me, I hope they can find somewhere nearby to continue on honestly…”
One person even shared a somewhat tongue-in-cheek but still heartfelt tribute song, bidding farewell to the no-nonsense odds-and-ends institution.
Although it is obviously sad news, the number of people sharing memories of going in with their parents, grandparents, or even taking their own children in there over the years is touching to read.
Pulling funds from three different Yu & Me shops across Greater Manchester at the time, he said: “Money is no good to us when we die and we are lucky that we are not born in such places. Some customers may have only donated pennies but all together it’s raised a lot of money. One day these people may help us.”
As a Stopfordian born and bred myself, I can only thank the Yu family for their years of service and for being the only place nearby to find last-minute spray paint for my year 11 art project. Yu will be missed.
Daisy Jackson -
22nd April 2024 
