Intro, the 90s Manchester menswear store that survived the IRA bomb
A fixture in the city centre for three generations, the business was originally started by the late Irvin Grant in 1980s in the Royal Exchange under the name Zico.
With a glut of new luxury menswear stores opening in Manchester city it’s easy to overlook what we already have.
In the past few years, Manchester’s welcomed the likes of KershKicks, KickGame, Sneaker63, Yards Store, Clints Inc and, more recently, END. Clothing, significantly upping its premium menswear game.
Whilst it’s been a long time coming, right now it feels like there are endless options for male shoppers looking for some luxury. But for those who knew where to look, there have always been a few reliable gems.
We’re talking about INTRO a local family-run clothing store that’s been dressing well-heeled Mancs ever since the nineties.
A fixture in the city centre for three generations, the business was originally started by the late Irvin Grant in 1980s in the Royal Exchange under the name Zico.
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The first floor of INTRO clothing on Deansgate. / Image: The Manc Group
Image: Supplied
Named after the famous 80s Brazilian footballer Arthur Antunes Coimbra, better known as Zico, the store became something of a go-to in the eighties and early nineties for fashionable gents – until the bomb hit, anyway.
After many happy years, the storefront was forced to relocate after it was nearly destroyed by the devastating 1996 IRA Bomb, which famously left little more than a bright red Market Street post box standing in its wake.
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Fortunately, Irvin had already opened a second store, INTRO, with the same philosophy six years earlier. This meant that when disaster struck his sought after collections of exclusive, premium menswear were able to relocate to INTRO.
Sadly Irvin passed away from cancer earlier this year, so now the family legacy is being carried on by his sons Oliver and Adam.
They tell us: “Basically dad originally went to work for his dad in the late 1960s at his shop called Just in Fashion just off Market street.
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“At the time, the store also carried the same philosophy of showcasing brands you couldn’t find anywhere else, in those days it was Levi’s flared jeans and Ben Sherman shirts!
“His mum also owned a shoe company specialising in handmade leather shoes from Portugal which celebrities like Tom Jones would wear.”
Image: Supplied
mage: Supplied
“We’ve always tried to stick with the same philosophy which continues to this: keeping it exclusive, and something you can’t find everywhere else, and that’s what we’ll always be like.”
“We’re not going to do commercial labels, we’re about being different a bit European […] We do things differently.”
“So from the 80s he had a shop called Zico then he opened a shop called INTRO in 1990, because Zico was at the Royal Exchange.
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“We had two shops at the time, INTRO and Zico, and 1996 when the bomb went off Zico got hit hard and it affected business so Zico was written off, so that was the end of that in 96. But INTRO continued, yeah. and like I say 1990 established and hopefully we’ll continue.”
Since 2000 you’ll find INTRO on Deansgate on the front of the Barton Arcade. Thirty-two years on, it’s still going strong and stocking some of the most sought-after exclusive luxury menswear brands on the market.
Inside, you’ll find clothing and accessories from brands such as Thom Krom, Transit, Hannes Roether, Danile Fiesoli, Tramarossa, Herno, Limitato, Off The Rails, PT Torino, Vision of Super, Cote & Ciel, Goti and many more.
Split across two floors, a quick dig into the rails reveals graphic t-shirts, sweatpants, hoodies, luxury trainers and rows upon rows of designer jeans.
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Elsewhere, for those after more business-appropriate attire, you’ll find a mix of smart suit jackets and tailored but casual sports coats, jackets and overshirts, perfect for taking busy city lads from day to night.
As well as having a physical shop on Deansgate, INTRO also has an online store where shoppers can browse at leisure online. To find out more and visit Intro’s website, click here.
Feature image – The Manc Group
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A McDonald’s x Friends festival took over Bolton yesterday, with episodes screening at Cineworld and exclusive merch available
Daisy Jackson
Friends fans, gather round – a huge event dedicated to the hit sitcom took over Bolton yesterday, with exclusive screenings and limited-edition merch – and even if you missed the Friends festival, you can still get in on the action.
The Cineworld Bolton was turned into an ultimate immersive Friends experience, all thanks to McDonald’s and its collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products (WBDGCP) and DCM.
The event was created to coincide with the release of the brand-new, limited-edition Friends Meal at McDonald’s, which features a different character collectible in each meal – a miniature Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing or Ross Geller.
McDonald’s will be taking its Friends festival to 12 locations right across the UK, bringing the beloved show to the big screen.
As well as episodes being screened in the cinema, there’ll be merch, fun photo moments, and unmissable experiences.
It took place in Bolton for one day only, with fans able to hop in a free AI photobooth that turns you into a Friends-style collectible (which you could then print onto a t-shirt and take home for free).
Then at all stops on the tour you can kick back with a free Maccies in hand to watch classic episodes on the big screen.
The limited-time Friends Meal from McDonald’s, which launched last week, features one-offs like Monica’s Marinara Sauce (Italian tomato sauce with garlic, onion and herbs), plus those adorable character collectibles.
There’s Ross with his pet monkey, Rachel serving coffee, Monica in full chef mode, Phoebe with her guitar, and Chandler and Joey with their chick and duck duo.
You can choose from a Big Mac®, 9 McNuggets®, or a McPlant® meal to gain one of the six collectibles from your local participating McDonald’s.
There’s also a chance to win one of four exclusive Friends-inspired mugs through the McDonald’s App if you’re an MMR customer.
Tickets for the Friends and McDonald’s event have gone faster than Ross can say “We were on a break”, but you can check the latest availability HERE.
JD Sports, Nike and MADE Running just hosted a historic 5k race INSIDE the Trafford Centre
Danny Jones
Native run club and growing viral fitness phenomenon MADE Running made a bit of local history this past weekend by teaming up with JD Sports and Nike to host the first-ever 5k race inside The Trafford Centre.
Yes, you read that right – and this is just the start…
Many of us have wondered what it would be like to see what the iconic Greater Manchester shopping destination is like after it closes, but in our case, these lot genuinely realised a childhood dream of ours: opening up the place for just you and your mates and running full tilt through its stunning, shiny halls.
In the case of MADE, they’re no strangers to shutting down major Manc thoroughfares with the hundreds that flock to their regular running meets throughout the week.
As for the landmark 5k run in and around The Trafford Centre, a huge turn-out of runners started outside the JD megastore on Sunday 8 February, before looping around the interior, through the food court, out into the car park and back inside – even more came out, and from all over.
The event was put on thanks to JD, in celebration of their new ‘We Run This City’ campaign, showcasing Nike Performance products.
The new range includes ‘running basics, just better’, three head-turning running shoes – the Vomero Plus, the Vomero 18, and the Pegasus Premium – and athleisure pieces that slip seamlessly into your daily wardrobe.
This latest JD and Nike campaign has been created to keep the motivation and momentum of the new year going well into 2026, with ‘the looks to run this city’.
And as part of the campaign, JD teamed up with MADE Running for the Trafford Centre run event over the weekend, which had people gathering from all over – elsewhere in the North West, the Midlands, Scotland, London and even as far as Dubai.
It’s an emotional event that perfectly captured the spirit of the Nike collection and of Manchester, with founder Hermen Dange telling the assembled runners that he was in prison just a few years ago, and now the balance of good fortune, humility and the drive to be better has transformed their lives, and continues to do the same for so many.
Fast forward to today, and he’s met with theNike CEO and his ever-growing crew are decked out in one of the hottest running shoes around right now, the ‘Vomero’, with more height and (most importantly) more comfort.
Following plenty of pre-event festivities, including a live DJ, shoe try-ons and impromptu dance-offs, the elite runners got underway, followed by hordes of others who aren’t just putting their work ethic through its paces but had an incredibly fresh start time, with people arriving from as early as 6:30am.
Not only is this way earlier than most parkruns up and down the country, but seeing such commitment from Mancs and many other attendees en masse was genuinely inspiring.
That pretty much sums up everything you need to know about what Hermen and co. have created, to be honest. You only had to see how people looked and listened to his emotional speeches before and after the run.
The run’s warm-up was quickly followed by another motivational speech to cheer runners on, with plenty of hugs and even tears shared.
MADE Running’s journey is a mad one, not least because of the countless people who’ve helped make it happen, and with Hermen informing those who travelled all manner of distances that the hope is for this to be just the first of several similar events, the inaugural MADE Running UK tour was officially teased.
Watch this space and keep your eyes peeled for dates coming soon.
And you can browse the full Nike ‘We Run This City’ with JD HERE.
The Manc -
23rd September 2022 
