Shoppers will soon be able to pick up designer items on a rental basis from Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet.
The luxury retail destination will be hosting a pop-up shop from By Rotation, an app that allows people to rent, lend and buy fashion items for a fraction of the retail price.
It will be the brand’s first pop-up outside London and is set to land here in the north west next week.
It’s also the first such standalone rental space for McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cheshire Oaks.
Credit: Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet
Visitors will be able to browse and try on items from the likes of The Vampire’s Wife, Ganni, Jacquemus, Zimmermann, Rat&Boa and Rixo, before booking them through the app for special occasions like a birthday dinner, a wedding, or just a night out.
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Shoppers can then complete their looks with accessories from the permanent shops at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet, such as Coach, Mulberry, Furla, Kate Spade, Pinko, Kurt Geiger and Burberry.
By Rotation has more than 300,000 users, which it says includes students, professors, lawyers, A-listers, celebrities and even royals.
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It allows shoppers to wear special designer items at a fraction of the retail price, and allows those who own luxury items to monetise their own wardrobes.
By Rotation is opening a pop-up shop at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet. Credit: Supplied
The pop-up will have a collection of more than 150 items selected by the app’s top ‘rotators’.
By Rotation founder and CEO Eshita Kabra Davies said: “After many successful pop-ups in London, we’re so excited to be popping up in Cheshire Oaks and having a physical presence regionally.
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“Our 300K strong community is based all over the UK so I can’t wait to meet our local Rotators as well as introduce our platform to new users. By Rotation is about making luxury fashion available to all, something we and McArthurGlen both have in common.”
Kenny Murray, general manager at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet said: “Creating unparalleled shopping experiences for Centre guests and the wider community is a priority for us.
“This is why we are so excited to work with such an innovative and meaningful brand as By Rotation, which reflects our own ambitions of creating more sustainable and affordable fashion choices for customers.
“We hope that the partnership will bring together both communities to connect, share and discover even more brands in-centre.”
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By Rotation’s pop-up space will open at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet on Friday 22 July, and shoppers can browse and try on items available to rent in the app until 31 July.
Featured image: Supplied
Shopping
Elf Bars stripped from UK supermarket shelves after ‘illegal’ nicotine levels found
Emily Sergeant
One of the most popular e-cigarette brands has been stripped from the shelves of several major UK supermarkets after they were found to contain “illegal” nicotine levels.
ELFBAR 600 – which is more commonly known as just ‘Elf Bars’ – is described by the company as being “the most popular disposable vape”, and it comes in countless eye-catching bright colours, an extensive range of 30 sweet and fruity flavours.
Given the uncharacteristic e-cigarette look, and the fact they come in flavours such as Blueberry, Guava, Cotton Candy Ice, Blue Razz Raspberry, Pink Lemonade, and so many more, this has lead experts to believing that Elf Bars are a contributing factor to the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping among younger people.
This is only proven by a recent survey carried out for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) finding that the proportion of children aged 11 to 17 currently vaping has risen from 4% in 2020 to 7% in 2022.
Elf Bars are available in varying nicotine levels – but recently, a Daily Mail investigation has revealed that the Watermelon-flavoured ELFBAR 600s were found to have at least 50% more than the legal limit for nicotine e-liquid.
This has lead Morrisons, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s stores across the UK to cease selling the product.
Elf Bars stripped from major UK supermarket shelves after ‘illegal’ nicotine levels found / Credit: ELFBAR
Not only that, but Morrisons has even taken things one step further by deciding to stop the sale of the whole ELFBAR 600 range following the investigation.
Addressing the findings from the investigation and explaining its decision to strip all Elf Bars from its shelves, a Morrisons spokesperson told ITV News: “As part of our ongoing investigation into the legal compliance of ELFBAR 600 disposable electronic cigarettes with Trading Standards, we have made the decision to remove all flavoured variants from sale.
“The products will only be returned to sale once stock that fully complies with UK legislation becomes available”.
Tesco says the vapes have been temporarily removed from shelves as “a precautionary measure” while the manufacturer “urgently investigates these claims.”
Sainsbury’s echos a similar statement to Tesco, and confirmed it’s in “close contact with our supplier”.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that the number of children aged 11 to 17 currently vaping has risen / Credit: Flickr
In light of the Daily Mail investigation – which was the result of buying multiple £5.99 vapes from a Tesco in Derbyshire, and sending them off for testing – an ELFBAR spokesman told the newspaper in response to the findings: “We found out that some batches of the Elf Bar product have been overfilled in the UK.
“It appears that e-liquid tank sizes, which are standard in other markets [such as the US], have been inadvertently fitted to some of our UK products [and] we wholeheartedly apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.”
The company added that it would alert retailers and review its production process, but insisted that the “highly regrettable situation” did not compromise the product’s safety.
Featured Image – ELFBAR
Shopping
Popular bargain homeware shop Homesense is closing its Manchester store
Daisy Jackson
A popular homeware store in Manchester city centre that sells everything for a discounted price has announced its closure.
Homesense in the Arndale, which is owned by TK Maxx, will close its doors for good early next month, leaving several shoppers gutted.
The retailer is located in a huge corner unit in the shopping centre, where it sells everything from plants to furniture to kitchen equipment.
Signs placed in the windows of the shop have announced that its final day will be 1 March 2023.
A spokesperson confirmed that all the staff will be offered jobs in other shops nearby.
Homesense in Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc GroupHomesense in Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
With several weeks to go, the shelves are already clearing out of stock and the shop’s footprint has been reduced.
Shoppers will still be able to get their hands on a selection of the homewares range – which includes discounted candles, cushions, and other decorative items – in the TK Maxx store just next door.
The Altrincham and Trafford branches of Homesense are also remaining open for business.
Stock is already clearing out in Homesense in Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
A statement from a spokesperson said: “Our Homesense Arndale Centre store will be closing on 1st March and all associates have been offered roles in nearby TK Maxx and Homesense stores.
“We’re very grateful to all our customers for supporting this store and look forward to seeing them find irresistible homeware in our neighbouring Homesense store in Altrincham.”
On Twitter, one person said: “Feel sick to my stomach that Homesense in the Arndale is closing permanently. No one speak to me.”
Daisy Jackson -
13th July 2022 
