Cheshire Oaks is already the UK’s largest designer outlet, but it’s been getting even bigger and better this past year.
Since originally opening back in 1995, the iconic shopping destination has gone from strength to strength over the past 30 years, 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 140 stores and 19 food outlets, it’s safe to say Cheshire Oaks stands as the go-to destination in North West – and if it wasn’t already a shopper’s paradise enough as it is, 12 businesses have either opened their doors or had a refurb at the Designer Outlet within this past year.
If you were thinking of planning a trip to Cheshire Oaks, then now couldn’t be a more ideal time, so let us bring you up to speed on everything you may have missed.
We popped over recently to check out all the new openings.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nike
There’s not much we need to say about Nike, really.
It’s already a world-famous sportswear brand, and has been a popular presence at Cheshire Oaks for a good number of years now, but late last year in October, the store had itself a show-stopping upsized refit, and is now the largest Nike outlet in the UK, so it’s well worth a visit.
ADVERTISEMENT
PANGAIA
This is an exciting one, as this is the only Pangaia outlet store in the UK.
Opening its doors at Cheshire Oaks in early November last year, PANGAIA is an ethical clothing and lifestyle brand that designs products for ‘living in’, and prides itself of producing products with smart technology and using as many sustainable materials as possible.
Lindt
Lindt was already a go-to destination for chocolate lovers at Cheshire Oaks, but last summer, it moved to a bigger – and many would say, better – new location at the outlet, and has been satisfying the sweet tooth of thousands of shoppers this year.
ADVERTISEMENT
The new location has an ice cream window, and was even one of the first few stores to get the limited-edition Dubai Pistachio Chocolate when it first released.
Nike, Joe & The Juice, and Lindt are three of the brands to open new or bigger stores at Cheshire Oaks / Credit: The Manc Group
Joe & the Juice
You may remember that Joe & The Juice opened its doors in Manchester city centre early this year, and it was a huge deal, with juice and Tunacado-loving fans lining the streets to become one of the first to step inside – but before that, the viral brand actually arrived at Cheshire Oaks fist.
Joe & The Juice opened at Cheshire Oaks last August, making it the brand’s first outlet location at the time, and it’s the perfect place to stop off for a bite to eat.
Gail’s
Another viral brand to open its first-ever outlet location at Cheshire Oaks last year was Gail’s Bakery, bringing its artisan bakes into the heart of the shopping experience and providing customers with a comforting place to refuel.
The opening of Gail’s at Cheshire Oaks last October was one of a number of other North West openings, including several in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
ADVERTISEMENT
Crocs
Arguably no brand has had a bigger resurgence these past couple of years than Crocs, which is why it was such a big deal that the first dedicated Crocs store to open in the UK since its return to the country was at Cheshire Oaks last summer.
Opening its doors in June 2024, Cheshire Oaks’ Crocs store is the perfect place to hit up if you’re looking for a pair of your own.
Viral bakery chain Gail’s, and English luxury clothing brand Sunspel have also opened doors / Credit: The Manc Group
Barbour
Barbour is a family-owned British heritage brand that was established in the North East of England all the way back in 1894, and since then, has gone on to become a beloved part of the country’s fashion landscape.
So it was only right that Barbour got to move into an even bigger and better store at Cheshire Oaks last summer.
Abercrombie & Fitch
We may have already talked about one brand’s big resurgence, but Abercrombie & Fitch is another global label that’s also been enjoying renewed popularity in recent years – so it only made sense that it would open an outlet location at Cheshire Oaks.
ADVERTISEMENT
The American fashion brand known for its trendy, collegiate-inspired casualwear and accessories opened last November.
Sunspel
Founded in Nottingham back in 1860, Sunspel is an English luxury clothing brand that’s best known for boxer shorts, t-shirts, and polo shirts, and it opened its first and only outlet location over at Cheshire Oaks last August.
You can also shop inside new Abercrombie & Fitch, ESPA, and Crocs stores / Credit: The Manc Group
ESPA
A staple in spas nationwide, ESPA is a well-loved luxury skincare brand producing products that go beyond the everyday skincare regimen to nourish and nurture your skin – but up until April of this year, you could only ever find the products online or in spas themselves.
That was until ESPA opened its first-ever – and to this day, only – physical store at Cheshire Oaks, and it’s so stunning inside.
Kids Around
Cheshire Oaks isn’t just a Designer Outlet for grown-ups, its a kids’ shopping paradise too.
ADVERTISEMENT
That’s why Kids Around opened its doors last June with a ‘unique experience’ bringing together the most beautiful high-end children’s fashion collections – with brands such as Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Kenzo Kids, Hugo Boss, and Chloé to choose from.
Chit ‘n’ Chaat
Chit ‘n’ Chaat is an absolute Manchester institution at this point – no arguments there.
The beloved Indian street food restaurant is Manchester born and bred, and already has a number of popular locations in places like Cheadle, Rusholme, Deansgate Square, and most-recently the Trafford Centre, but in case you didn’t know, it also opened a new site at Cheshire Oaks earlier this year in April too.
So if you’re looking for a place to stuff your face before shopping till you drop, then stop off here for a proper Indian feast.
You can find out more and plan your next trip to Cheshire Oaks by heading to the Designer Outlet’s website here.
Featured Image – Cheshire Oaks
Sponsored
A massive street food festival is set to return to Rochdale this month
Lydia Mastrolonardo
A popular street food festival will be returning to Greater Manchester this month, filling a historic square with food traders and live entertainment.
That’s right, Street Eat is coming to Rochdale once again, to supply us foodies with our fix of mouth-watering food and thirst-quenching drinks, all held within the magnificent Rochdale Town Hall Square.
Year upon year, this flavourful festival has shown up and impressed us, guaranteeing itself a spot in our annual diaries as a staple spring-time event.
It truly does deserve all of the praise it gets, with more than 3,000 people showing up last year, all with one common interest – proper good food.
Street Eat is a true celebration of the town’s rich history, diverse arts scene, creativity, talent, variety of cultures and of course – food. Boasting a range of local favourites and stalls including Italian, Spanish, Thai, Indian, English, American cuisines and more, it successfully captures what Rochdale is all about.
This year, Street Eat is pulling out all of the stops, with stalls like the prosecco bar Sip and Sparkle and multi-award winning independent brewery Wakey Wakey, as well as tapas from La Mancha, pizza from Vicolo del Vino, Indian inspired street food from Bombay Brew, Thai street food dishes from Issan Friends and many more. Whether you’re feeling adventurous and want to try something new, or are there to support your favourite local restaurant, there’s something for everyone.
Street Eat will take place in the Rochdale Town Hall squareThere’ll be food and drink aplenty from local tradersStreet Eat returns to Rochdale in May
If it’s a sweet treat that you’re after, there will also be cookies from Mason’s Creations, waffles and crepes to be found at Brew Box, and sugary classics from The Traditional Tuck Shop, as well as many other dessert stalls to satisfy those sugar cravings.
Why not check out which of The Manc’s favourites from our Rochdale guide made it onto the festival menu?
The excitement doesn’t just stop with our tastebuds though – Street Eat also hosts lots of free entertainment across a variety of bars and live music stages, which all draw in the crowds and give it a proper festival feel.
This year you can expect a variety of music genres, catering to all ages with everything from singalong classics and pop hits, to Rochdale Music Service’s very own rock bands, brass band and choirs. Not to mention a performance from Turners Dance School to get everyone in the mood for getting their groove on as the music takes us into the evening.
Street Eat welcomes people of all ages, with lots of free activities to keep the kids entertained too including rides, Punch and Judy shows, face painting and even a caricaturist sketching free portraits.
One thing is for certain – Rochdale Business Improvement District (BID) can put on a good party.
Organiser and BID manager Paul Ambrose said: “Street Eat showcases the vibrant and high-quality food and drink the town has to offer, as well as being a great day out.
“It’s a fantastic event, giving us the opportunity to champion the very best local food and drink. Street Eat brings friends and families together, celebrating our vibrant town centre eateries and showing what a foodie hotspot the town is. We do all we can to make the event as affordable as possible and entry is free.”
Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council said: “This is always such a great day out and Rochdale Town Hall Square is a wonderful setting. Street Eat is a great celebration of the incredible food and drink offer we have here in our town.”
Great food, drinks, community, music and freeentertainment in the sunshine – sounds like the perfect Saturday to us.
Admission is free and Street Eat will run from 11am to 7pm on Saturday 30 May.
For more on the line-up, head HERE and search #StreetEatRoch on social media.
Printworks launches UK-wide student art competition for Europe’s largest digital ceiling
Emily Sergeant
Printworks has launched a student art competition offering the winner a chance to have their work displayed on Europe’s largest digital ceiling.
Do you know an aspiring artist? Students aged 16 and over are invited to bring the ocean to life in a brand-new creative arts competition launched by one of the UK’s leading entertainment destinations, Manchester’s Printworks.
The venue has now opened entries for UK students from sixth forms, colleges, universities, and art colleges across the country to take part in an exciting new art competition.
This year, students are asked to create an original artwork inspired by the theme ‘Ocean / Under the Sea’, and then the winning design will be transformed into a spectacular digital display across the impressive ceiling installation.
From colourful coral gardens and tropical fish, to mysterious deep-sea worlds and majestic marine life, students are encouraged to unleash their creativity and dive beneath the waves for inspiration.
“We’re incredibly excited to launch this year’s student art competition and can’t wait to see the imagination and creativity that the UK’s young artists bring to this year’s theme,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks Manchester.
Printworks has launched a UK-wide student art competition for Europe’s largest digital ceiling / Credit: Supplied
“Our digital ceiling gives students the opportunity to see their work displayed on a truly massive scale in front of thousands of visitors, and we hope the addition of new prizes will encourage creativity to continue beyond the competition.”
The winning artist will also receive an iPad 11th Generation with an Apple Pencil (USB-C) this year too, as well as the main prize of having their artwork featured, giving budding creatives powerful new tools to continue developing their artistic talents and future projects.
Entrants who come in second and third place will also receive vouchers to be used at different venues inside Printworks.
The competition is now open, and further details on how to enter, submission guidelines, and full terms and conditions can be found on the Printworks website here.
Emily Sergeant -
28th August 2025 
