The Corn Exchange is transforming from a food hall, bar and leisure venue to a festive gift shop for one week only and there are some serious gems on offer.
While the cornerstone of Exchange Square is best known for its numerous restaurants, bars and leisure sites, the likes of Salvi’s have been selling produce and pantry items from its glamorous shopfront for some time now.
With that in mind, the rest of the courtyard is joining in for a limited time only this holiday season, with various restaurants offering festive specials and vouchers, not to mention a new pop-up Christmas gift shop courtesy of Forever Manchester.
Here’s how you’ll find it and everything else the Corn Exchange has on offer this week:
The popular Manchester-themed gift and tourist shop that stocks everything from custom prints by local artists, to hand-crafted jewellery and everything in between, this place specialises in all things Manc.
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Setting up a satellite shop from the Cross Street site, their new festive pop-up at the back of the Corn Exchange on Cathedral Gardens stocks iconic Stanley Chow coasters, posters and porcelain, Joy Division-inspired themes by Bee Mancunian, books, tote bags and much, much more.
As alluded to already, Salvi’s Corn Exchange site has always stocked plenty of fresh produce, pantry items and seasonal items. Better still, there have plenty of great stocking fillers available.
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Whether it’s a limited edition Dolce & Gabbana panettone, festive hampers full of the best olive oil, pasta, and vinegar or even just a nice bottle of wine, they’ll make a perfect addition to your Christmas shopping.
The Corn Exchange isn’t all about bars and restaurants, there are also plenty of activities to get stuck into all year round and one of those is a Manc favourite: Sixes Cricket.
With vouchers starting from £25, you can help give the gift of a virtual cricket game or day at the batting cages, or simply put some money towards the food and drink. It’s a good day out and better than the bog-standard socks and deodorant set we know you’re debating as you do every year.
Another popular activity in this leisure venue are the escape rooms courtesy of Escape Hunt Manchester. It’s sure to have you arguing with friends and family but it’s also a bloody good laugh.
Like with Sixes, you can grab gift vouchers starting from £20 for those still left to cross out on your Christmas shopping list — just remember, they may invite you along, so make sure it’s someone you can tolerate in small spaces for a prolonged period of time.
This one is for beauty fans and those whole like a bit of glamour in their life. The Charlotte Tilbury Masterclass hosted in Banyan Bar & Kitchen is a limited-time-only experience on 3 January and 24 January, so you’ll have to be quick.
This one will set you back £55 but that figure not only includes a taste of some of the most high-end make-up on the market, but it also includes welcome drinks, food, a gift bag and £30 voucher for the recipient to spend on the evening as they see fit. We all deserve a posh night every now and again.
Just next door, popular Indian street food chain Mowgli isn’t just serving up some absolutely sensational dishes, they’re also giving you the tools to make them yourself.
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The Mowgli Cook Books have been flying off the shelves ever since they were first published and you can give your loved ones the secrets to this wonderful food for Christmas at a discount. Might buy one for ourselves while we’re at it.
One of the things we love about Mowgli is their fun-sized tiffin boxes and if you’re looking for something a neat little package to take away and hand gift someone with a sweet tooth this Christmas, you won’t go far wrong with Croyaki Tea.
This bubble tea and dessert bar has become a cult favourite in Manchester and, lucky for you, you can grab a box of their colourful and flavoursome macarons for just £9. That’s pudding for Christmas day sorted, though we wouldn’t encourage sharing — these little guys are too good.
Last but certainly by no means least, another one of our city-centre favourites: Tampopo. The Pan Asian spot specialising in street food is packed virtually all week round across its multiple Manchester sites, but you can get exclusive access behind the scenes this Christmas.
You can even play it safe and simply buy vouchers for their in-house hotel Roomzzz and the Corn Exchange in general; they once again start from £20 but you can set the amount yourself.
Check out the full list of what the Corn Exchange Christmas gift shop has to offer HERE.
And remember, the Forever Manchester gift shop pop-up is only there until Sunday, 18 December, so be sure to stop there while you still can.
P1 Fitness – The Manchester gym that strikes the perfect blend of PT and group-based coaching
Danny Jones
We here at The Manc team are trying to get fit; it can be hard to find time for the gym when you’re busy, not to mention staying in shape when you’ve got a food scene as good as Manchester’s, which is exactly why P1 Fitness Studio is a perfect match for us.
Maybe you’ve fancied giving a personal trainer a go, or even tried a class or two, but perhaps the schedule, the price, the location or some other factor meant it wasn’t for you.
Whatever your reasoning, if you’re the kind of person who can admit they need a bit of a kick up the backside to get their arse in gear and actually stick at this gym lark, we can assure you this is an ideal place to build the right kinds of habits.
And trust us, they’ll keep pushing to make sure it sinks in.
Top-end facilities, secure lockers, every bit of kit you’ll ever need and much more (Credit: The Manc)
Aside from the anti-ego environment in general – you won’t catch anyone staring at themselves in mirrors here – it’s also just nice to be around people with similar lifestyles.
Boasting tonnes of positive reviews online, P1 Fitness is a place for busy professionals who aren’t willing to let work and all other time-consuming parts of ‘adulting’ be an excuse to not carve out less than an hour to better themselves.
And for most people, that really is all it takes to start seeing a difference; two 50-minute sessions might not sound like a lot to some, but the effort you put in during the group workouts is more than enough to get the benefit.
They focus on quality, not quantity, making sure every day that you turn up is worthwhile, and no drop of sweat is wasted.
Better still, they keep the numbers low and even break off into smaller groups to explain and tailor workouts to suit each person.
It’s not just weekly blocks stuck on a wall that you have to stick to: everything is flexible, and they do try and give everyone as much one-on-one attention as possible from the P1 staff.
Here’s what some other members have had to say in their recent testimonials:
“The biggest difference isn’t that I’m fitter and stronger. It’s that I don’t have to think about it anymore. Before P1 I’d spend all week telling myself I needed to go to the gym, then I’d be too tired, it’d be busy, I didn’t know what to do, and I’d end up doing nothing and beating myself up about it.
“Now I just turn up twice a week. Someone tells me what to do, I get coached to do it right, then shower, go back to work and my fitness takes care of itself. It’s one less thing I have to worry about.”
Louise
“I genuinely thought I hated gyms. In fact, when I saw one, I used to cross the street to avoid it… Turns out I hated the ‘usuall’ gym experience. Wondering what I was supposed to be doing, fighting for equipment in the crowd and being self-conscious about my form.
“At P1, I simply walk in, everything’s ready – someone coaches me through the session, we have a laugh in the group, and before I know it I’m finished. I actually look forward to training now, which is crazy.
Damien
One of our very own, Lonnie, says it’s given him a sense of “structure, routine and a community” in the gym like never before, and added that “it’s become that third space where people can come together to better themselves in a fun and unique way.”
Abby is ever the hard-working, friendly face; her husband and fellow co-owner, Peter, is a ‘BFG’ who will always push you to your limits but knows when not to beast you; Ben is a great instructor with a great way of breaking down movements, and Mel is the smiling assassin who is as dedicated as she is smiley.
Then there’s Katie, who is somehow juggling a PhD and working at P1 part-time, all whilst being an absolute Duracell bunny of a trainer. All in all, you couldn’t ask for a better team.
Best of all, you can choose when to register for a session based not only on who you prefer working with, but whatever time suits you; you can even put your name down as last-gasp as you like – in fact, we’ve turned up with five minutes’ notice on more than one occasion.
It’s also great to see that they’re more than happy to roll out a mat or pick up a weight and properly get stuck in there with you.
Put simply: much like you, all of these guys have their own special traits, but one thing they do all have in common is an incredible amount of drive and passion for the work they do, not to mention the knowledge and experience to back it up.
We’re not going to give you any harder of a sell than that; all we’ll say is that we’re feeling more positive about our current fitness journey than we have in a long time, and if you want to make similar progress, P1 might just be for you.
So, if you are truly looking to get fitter in a setting where consistency, accountability and community thrive, consider this your sign to finally get serious.
You can find out more and enquire about joining right HERE.
You won’t find a friendlier team. (Credit: Supplied)
When it comes to those incredible facilities, we’re talking a gym, a yoga studio, three outdoor terraces with views across the city, study spaces, a private dining room, a gaming lounge, and free laundry. Not to mention a coffee lounge with free tea, coffee, and breakfast cereals.
They truly have thought of everything to allow students to thrive and make the most of the Manchester life, including running social events, co-working spaces, and mental health support.
This is Fusion Manchester’s brand new state-of-the-art student accommodation in Deansgate / Credit: Darren Robinson Photography (Supplied)
And as for the location? Well that’s just the cherry on top.
Fusion Manchester is nestled in the heart of Deansgate, making it less than a five-minute walk to Deansgate Train Station or tram stop, as well as being in prime proximity to the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University which are both around 20 minutes away on foot – ideal when you’re running late for a class.
It also could not be in a better spot for making plans on the weekends with new friends, as it’s just a stones-throw away from some of the best cafes, restaurants, concert and retail spaces that Manchester has to offer.
The rooms boast incredible panoramic views / Credit: Darren Robinson Photography (Supplied)
All residents’ rent covers their utilities, superfast Wi-Fi, free laundry, regular housekeeping and access to shared facilities, as well as the building having a 24/7 reception, secure fob entry, and CCTV throughout, to keep students feeling nice and safe.
Rooms range from en-suite accommodations at £265 per week, to classic, premium, or deluxe studios from £345 per week – but hurry, as they’re booking up fast and it’s not hard to see why.
Danny Jones -
14th December 2022 
