It’s been a tough year for Manchester’s small businesses, with many of the city’s hardworking creatives struggling to survive due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Christmas is almost upon us, we need to look out for one another – supporting the Mancunian independents that our creative city is renowned for wherever we can.
Manchester is filled with unique businesses offering festive, fun gifts, so if you’re braving the busy high streets and frantically searching for last-minute Christmas presents, why not support some of these local creators?
Everyone deserves to feel indulged and spoiled around Christmas, especially after the insane year that 2020 has been.
Soapy J, which is based in Afflecks, is selling some amazing bath bombs that are handmade and kind to your skin, whilst still packing an incredible punch with their striking scents and vibrant colours.
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This relaxing range will go down a treat on a winter evening – as well as their classic mini-figure range of bath bombs which will hopefully be back in stock in the new year.
Our time in lockdown loungewear doesn’t seem to be entirely over yet – so it’s likely that comfy jumpers and joggers will still be a staple going into the new year.
As holidays abroad still feel like a distant dream, fellow Mancunians shouldn’t have to forfeit their sunkissed look.
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If you need an injection of bronze now more than ever, Holly Hagan’s collaboration with Mancunian brand Rose and Caramel is exactly what you need.
This set has got you covered for the ‘ultimate tan up’, with everything from products to prep your skin to their revolutionary 3-minute tan remover.
If you know someone who’s sick of scrubbing off patchy fake tan, this gift set is an absolute necessity.
For the plant mum…
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIqAKIKAkpJ/
Glass House on Princess Street has launched a ‘plant gang pack’, offering everything you need to keep your greens alive this winter.
This is perfect for anyone who’s developed a greenfinger and has been steadily transforming their home into a tropical paradise.
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Glass House is also selling a variety of houseplants, succulents and dried flowers from their Manchester-based boutique, as well as hosting workshops in the run-up to Christmas.
Buying someone a gift set of shower gels can seem quite impersonal, but opt for a zero-waste alternative and suddenly your prezzie has a lot more thought behind it.
Grüum is a Manchester brand aiming to create planet-friendly skin and body care, and these gifts would be the perfect addition under the Christmas tree for anyone who is environmentally conscious.
Although Gruum offer various gifts, you can’t beat ‘The Sustainables‘ set of zero plastic pamper products, including their award-winning shampoo bar.
For the jewellery obsessive…
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIyS447HeSq/
If you plan on giving some elegant jewellery this Christmas, or you know someone who takes pride in these lavish accessories, then having somewhere to display these items is essential.
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Not only is Benji’s boho face jewellery stand practical as it stops them from getting tangled, it’s also the height of trendy interiors right now.
Gorgeous jewellery deserves to be adorned for all to see (that is, when we’re allowed visitors in our homes again), and what better way to do so than with this stunning holder.
Candles are quite an obvious gift idea, but why not spice things up a bit and opt for a set of wax melts instead?
These super cute stocking fillers provide a great opportunity to try out some new scents and give your home a fresh feel as the new year approaches.
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Although there are many on the market, you can’t beat WIFF’s selection of unique fragrances with hilarious names that’ll definitely be the topic of conversation around the Christmas dinner table.
For the face mask fiend…
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIskx0rANc5/
If you know someone who is into creative, reusable face masks, rather than the disposable, surgical-esque ones, then this is a thoughtful and extremely practical gift.
It’s the gift that we never could’ve seen coming last Christmas – but is now an absolute necessity for everyone.
The Norah Store in Stockport are selling these stylish options that will become the focus of any outfit, allowing you to be both confident and cautious when heading out
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Images of latest Stone Roses x Man United collaboration kit leak online
Danny Jones
Images of the latest collaboration between Manchester United and The Stone Roses have been linked online.
Put simply, we think it looks mint, albeit very familiar.
Serving as yet another fitting tribute from his beloved football club, who already honoured the late, great, Manc musician at Old Trafford, it’s rumoured to launch later this year.
Snapped alongside United’s current third kit for the 25/26 season, the rumoured ‘lifestyle’ jersey is apparently coming very soon.
This pair of images has seemingly confirmed the claims made by trusted online kit source, Footy Headlines, who specialise in sharing pictures of the football shirts, boots and more, who had already reported on the release in 2025.
As you can see, not only does the design feature a striking blue take on the band’s iconic album art style (expanded from an original painting by guitarist John Squire), but if you look closely, it also features the band’s iconic song and overriding slogan, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, built into the crest.
You can see the rest of the existing Stone Roses collection in full down below.
We’re sure there are loads of other little details besides the twist on the badge still to be spotted, but for now, all we know is that the world-famous sporting franchise is continuing to capitalise even further on The Stone Roses connection.
Since the last batch of officially licensed adidas x Stone Roses merch quickly became collector’s items, we can only assume that this latest shirt won’t be the only new addition.
For instance, one user already commented, ‘Where’s the bucket hat?’
As for Manchester United, they’re no doubt looking to generate as much revenue as possible after having to pay another sizeable severance package following the sacking of Ruben Amorim – the question is, who is going to be next?
Manchester has been ranked one of the ‘most influential cities’ in Europe
Danny Jones
As per a development that we’d consider so obvious it’s barely worth writing about (even though we are), Manchester has been ranked one of the most influential cities in Europe.
In other news, water is still very much wet.
While there’s plenty of it here in Greater Manchester, given our standard rainy forecasts, when it comes to anything besides the weather, we deliver in spades.
Let’s be honest: we know it, you do too, and apparently so do plenty of other folks – and there’s some concrete statistics to back it up.
Case in point – First Chanel, now Vogue… (Credit: The Manc Group)
You’ll find all manner of surveys, polls and studies diving into how Manchester ranks across various categories, but knowing we boast nods such as ‘the original industrial city’, the place that helped split the atom and the place that the first modern computer was born, we know all about our global impact.
With that in mind, when we saw that Sixt had recently named us as one of the most influential cities in all of Europe, we couldn’t ignore the well-deserved pat on the back.
That’s right, although you might not associate the car rental company with this sort of stuff, as part of their new exclusive ‘Sixt Ride’ offering (think a posh taxi service), they looked into which cities have the most luxuries, tourist attractions and other cultural bonuses to their name.
Per their recent research, Manchester city centre didn’t just break into the top 100 but found itself among the 30 most influential cities in Europe.
You can see the full rankings table down below.
#
City
Country
*Fortune 500 Companies
Fashion weeks
Film Festivals
International Airports
5-Star Hotels
High End/Luxury Shopping areas
Michelin Restaurants
1
Paris
France
10
6
77
2
122
11
134
2
London
United Kingdom
12
3
241
3
182
5
81
3
Milan
Italy
1
4
52
3
29
5
22
4
Rome
Italy
2
0
97
2
65
4
21
5
Stockholm
Sweden
0
3
14
2
12
2
13
6
Madrid
Spain
5
0
38
1
42
2
29
7
Zurich
Switzerland
6
0
10
1
12
4
18
8
Munich
Germany
5
0
10
1
16
4
17
9
Berlin
Germany
1
1
76
1
40
2
21
10
Hamburg
Germany
1
0
16
2
17
3
16
11
Amsterdam
Netherlands
4
0
24
1
29
1
30
12
Copenhagen
Denmark
1
2
12
1
12
2
20
13
Barcelona
Spain
0
0
45
1
47
1
31
14
Lisbon
Portugal
1
0
38
1
49
1
20
15
Athens
Greece
0
0
41
1
52
2
12
16
Vienna
Austria
1
0
24
1
24
3
14
17
Bucharest
Romania
0
0
22
2
12
2
0
18
Warsaw
Poland
0
0
22
2
17
1
3
19
Glasgow
United Kingdom
0
0
17
2
4
2
2
20
Lyon
France
0
0
9
2
7
0
16
21
Prague
Czechia
0
0
16
1
60
1
2
22
Brussels
Belgium
0
0
18
1
14
1
29
23
Oslo
Norway
0
1
8
1
6
1
11
24
Manchester
United Kingdom
0
0
20
1
7
3
2
25
Budapest
Hungary
0
0
16
1
24
1
7
26
Dublin
Ireland
2
0
16
1
11
0
6
27
Naples
Italy
0
0
34
1
5
0
22
28
Porto
Portugal
0
0
8
1
28
0
10
29
Turin
Italy
1
0
21
1
4
0
10
30
Sofia
Bulgaria
0
0
22
1
14
1
0
31
Helsinki
Finland
0
0
5
1
10
1
5
32
Belgrade
Serbia
0
0
32
1
9
0
1
33
Marseille
France
0
0
5
1
4
0
12
34
Birmingham
United Kingdom
0
0
12
1
4
0
6
35
Minsk
Belarus
0
0
11
1
0
0
0
Read it and weep; we Mancs landed 24th on the leaderboard, just behind Norway’s capital, Oslo, and ever so slightly ahead of Budapest in Hungary.
As you can see, to identify the ‘most influential European cities’, they broke down how the 35 most populous cities on the continent and here UK (barring Russia and Ukraine) and what noteworthy cultural touchstones they possess.
For instance, did you hear that our very own Warehouse Project recently found itself breaking into the top half of the best nightclubs on the entire planet?
Going on to analyse everything from the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city, their connections to film, fashion, fine-dining and more, they found that Paris, London and Milan were the most influential (no surprises there), but we’re glad to be keeping such good company.
After all, in the last couple of years alone, Manchester city centre has welcomed the Metiers D’art fashion show, opened one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues in all of Europe, and still takes eternal credit for giving the world Oasis and, therefore, the Live ’25 reunion. Again, you’re welcome.
What do you make of Sixt’s study, and do you agree with their findings on the whole?
It goes without saying that we’d probably put ourselves higher on the list if anything, but then again, maybe we’re getting too used to being told how brilliant it is to live in this region.
Daisy Bradbury -
17th December 2020 
