Shopping

A look inside the brand-new M&S Trafford Centre ‘mega store’ as it finally opens its doors

It's taken over the former Debenhams unit, and promises shoppers “an even bigger and better store”.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 1st December 2023

It’s been a long time coming… but the brand-new M&S at the Trafford Centre has finally opened its doors to the public.

And the first look images of the place prove it’s just as swanky as we were expecting.

In case you hadn’t heard, after it was revealed all the way back in January that M&S would be relocating from its old unit and taking over the former Debenhams site inside the Greater Manchester shopping centre, the retailer’s brand-new Trafford Centre store welcomed its first customers yesterday.

The new ‘mega store’ officially threw open its doors yesterday (30 November) at 10am, and it’s all just in time for Christmas, so shoppers can get stuck in to buying all their festive food and gifts before the big day arrives.

The brand-new M&S at the Trafford Centre has finally opened its doors / Credit: Supplied

Having opened as part of M&S‘ ongoing plans and wider investment to regenerate vacant sites in major UK shopping centres, the new M&S Trafford Centre store spans across a whopping 98,000 sq ft of commercial space.

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Promising shoppers “an even bigger and better store”, there’s huge new “spacious and stylish” Clothing, Home, and Beauty departments, as well as a brand-new M&S Cafe, and the star of the show being the all-new “market style” Food Hall – which stocks the full M&S Food range, and has “wider and brighter aisles”, with free designated car parking to make shopping “more convenient”.

Percy Pig was on-hand to welcome shoppers to the new store, with the first 200 customers through the door handed ‘golden tickets’.

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Every golden ticket holder was guaranteed a win. whether that be a free bag of Percy Pigs, freshly-baked cookies from the new M&S Bakery, or something even bigger – with one lucky customer even bagging a £200 M&S voucher to take home.

It promises shoppers “an even bigger and better store” / Credit: Supplied

180 new jobs have been created by the opening of the new store, and staff at M&S’ former Trafford Centre store have also transferred over to the new location.

The store is led by Store Manager, Laura Smith, along with a team of 420 M&S colleagues.

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Soaking up the opening day celebrations, Laura said: “We are thrilled to officially open our brand-new store in the Trafford Centre. The last few weeks have been so exciting for us all as we’ve seen the store take shape, and I’d like to thank everyone in the team for all their hard work to make sure everything is ready for our customers today.

“The store is an exciting investment in the future of M&S in Trafford, and I can’t wait for our customers to explore all the new features that the store has to offer.”

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The new M&S Trafford Centre store is now open from 8am-10pm Monday to Friday, 8am-9pm on Saturday, and 12-6pm on Sunday.

Featured Image – Supplied

Shopping

A premium car brand is opening up its first-ever UK city garage in Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Cupra showroom opening in Manchester city centre June 2025

Premium performance car brand, CUPRA, is set to open its first-ever UK city centre garage right here in Manchester next month.

It’s just their 12th British branch and will be one of their most impressive yet.

CUPRA, which primarily makes its models in Spain, is one of the fastest-growing manufacturers in Europe, especially in the performance market, and has recently launched in the likes of Mexico City and Sydney too.

Now set to open their latest location here in England this June, the new CUPRA space is set to be more than just your average garage/car showroom.

cupra cars manchester location
The CUPRA Formentor model (press shot via cupraofficial.co.uk)

Due to open up on St. Ann Street (Manchester M2 7LP) next to the city centre square of the same name, the premium dealer is promising more than just a space to show off their cars.

As per an official statement, it will be “a bold new destination that blends Mediterranean attitude with Manchester’s disruptive spirit.”

Detailing that they chose our home due to its “unrivalled cultural impact and creative energy”, they went on to describe Greater Manchester as a “high-impact cultural hub rooted in music, design, wellness, food, and electrifying performance, it’s designed to connect people, ideas, and communities.”

The press release goes on to explain that at the core of CUPRA’s Manchester launch will be their new ‘Counter Culture‘ calendar of immersive experiences and events, with this new venue looking to innovate when it comes to programming and collaborations with Manchester independents and more.

CUPRA have steadily been announcing their arrival in town via various special activations, but come 26 June, they’ll be here full-time.

Speaking about the launch, Marcus Gossen, CUPRA UK Brand Director, said: “Manchester was the natural destination for the latest CUPRA City Garage. The desire to continually evolve and transform is something we share with this great city, as well as its disruptive spirit.”

Having surpassed 800,000 cars sold worldwide and boasting big sponsorship deals with famous athletes like FC Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas, not to mention being a leading partner of the rising Baller League competition, their presence in the UK is growing, and fast.

To mark the occasion here in 0161, a special launch event with live music, entertainment, as well as food and drink, will be taking place; the lineup is still yet to be announced.

Once again, CUPRA Manchester – their first UK city garage and showroom – opens in 2–14 St. Ann Street on Thursday, 26 June.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Shot (supplied)/Vid Mušič (via Pexels)/8000vueltas (via Flickr)

Shopping

A local indie fashion brand is cleaning tired old trainers while handing out free shoes and ice cream

Danny Jones Danny Jones

A Manchester-based fashion brand is looking to give back to the community with a wholesome new initiative that will see a charitable trainer cleaning service swapped for a brand-new pair of shoes and free ice cream.

Nope, this is not a scam or some kind of prank, just a local indie label doing some lovely for the community and an important a crucial UK non-profit.

In case you’ve not come across the name before, we’re talking about rising sneaker makers KayKrepz, who are behind the increasingly popular model known as the ‘Kezy’, available in a select few colours.

Sneaker heads may have already spotted a select few pairs out on the streets of Manchester, where the designer’s story begins, but we have a very strong feeling you won’t get many other opportunities to get your hands on a pair of these for free.

The ‘Kezy’ in Earth Green
And in Cream
A very fresh pair of creps, it has to be said – and who could say no to free shoes designed right here in Manchester? (Credit: Supplied)

Speaking to The Manc, creator Kezi told us that building a bit of a community and supporting the local area is just as important as growing the brand itself.

“I really wanted to have a shoe brand that people can afford to buy that are also still comfortable as well as look and feel nice, plus it’s a good way to gather unwanted items to give to Centrepoint.” We couldn’t agree more.

For anyone unfamiliar with Centrepoint, who have a big base here in Greater Manchester, they are a nationwide charity that combats rough sleeping and specialises in youth homelessness, in particular.

It goes without saying that collecting free articles of clothing is an integral part of their work.

So, with that in mind, Kezi and co will be holding ‘The Sweet Swap’, where those who attend can exchange their unwanted, old shoes for a free pair of KayKrepz AND a scoop of premium ice cream.

This is all in return for a free shoe cleaning service which will see those same trainers traded in, given some much-needed TLC, before being donated directly to Centrepoint. Love it.

We’ll back pretty much any small business trying to make it in our region, but it’s fair to say getting behind causes like these is especially easy.

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Including the new ‘Butterscotch’ model, the Kezy shoe is usually priced at £69.99, making it arguably one of the most affordable high-end, top-quality trainers on the market at the moment.

Naturally, there will only be a limited number of pairs available and shoes handed in must be of a good enough quality to be passed on via the charity; KayKrepz’s Street Swap scheme will be operating on a strictly first-come, first-served basis.

Taking place at All Saints Park (M15 6BW). You can reserve your limited free tickets right now from the event page HERE.

Just make sure to leave your name and shoe size when signing up.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — KayKrepz (supplied)

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