A new supermarket chain is set to open in the UK, and it’s already proving to be a rival to leading budget retailers Aldi and Lidl.
MERE Retail – which is affectionately known by some as “the Russian Lidl” – was founded in 2009 as Svetofor in Siberia, and has since gone on to become one of the largest Russian retail operators in the discounter segment, with more than 2,500 stores in Europe and a reported total of 3,200 stores worldwide.
Although fellow European budget supermarket retailers Aldi and Lidl are likely to be the easiest comparison for Brits, MERE compares itself to Costco.
What makes it different to Costco is that there is no membership fee and no in-store service.
MERE branches are currently set to open doors over the coming months in Castleford, Mold, Caldicot and the nearby Lancashire city of Preston – which is expected to open in mid-July – but the retailer is yet to put down routes in Greater Manchester.
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Now though, it’s reported in The Grocer that plans to step up store openings elsewhere in the UK are beginning to take shape.
Speaking to The Grocer earlier this month, Pavels Antonovs – Head of UK Buying at MERE – claimed that the supermarket would be 30% cheaper than rivals, adding that: “We are the gap in the market [and] we don’t have any competitors.
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“Our model is no service and no marketing.”
Each UK store will reportedly be about 10,000 square feet, and have just eight workers.
Another thing that makes MERE different to other retailers is that items are typically sold directly from the pallets they’re delivered on, and the supermarket buys stock from suppliers on a “sale or return basis” – which means it’ll return any unsold goods back to the seller.
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The shops are also said to include a walk-in chiller room and freezer.
MERE Retail has set out ambitious plans to open over 300 stores in the UK within the next eight to 10 years.
Featured Image – MERE Retail
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Man City to open latest Greater Manchester club shop at Trafford Centre
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club are set to open another brand-new store at the Trafford Centre, and just in time for Christmas.
With the festive period approaching, plenty of people will be looking to buy the latest shirts and merch of their beloved team, and with the Blues now a bigger brand than ever, they’ve put plenty of time into levelling up the club shop experience.
Their third in Greater Manchester, all told, it’s also set to be one of their largest to date.
Credit: The Manc Group
Although confirmation of the plans came back in October, City have officially announced themselves in the Trafford Centre this month.
With the hoardings going up over on Peel Avenue – the section of the huge mall arguably most well-known for its multi-storey John Lewis department store – they’ll be opening their doors just next to the branch of Waterstones.
In fact, you definitely can’t miss it because not only is there a giant MCFC badge plastered over the windows, but it also happens to be right next to the big Christmas tree.
This comes after sports and streetwear franchises like Gymshark and Urban Outfitters joined the North West tourist attraction, not to mention the massive Zara and Bershka sites that opened recently, as well as other global names like Pop Mart.
An idea of what the new Man City store in the Trafford Centre could look like, based on the Arndale shop. (Credit: The Manc)
Put simply, there’s been plenty of new arrivals this year, and there are several others to come.
Although we’ve not got an exact opening date just yet, the posters displayed across the window simply read “Coming November”, so Cityzens won’t have to wait long.
Furthermore, job vacancies for retail roles working within the upcoming location are already listed on the official Trafford Centre careers page.
Last but not least, there are scheduled be a number of other new openings in the shopping arcade, leisure and entertainment destination, so keep your eyes peeled on socials for more info soon.
The Mary Earps drama and why she’s catching flak – explained
Danny Jones
You might have noticed female footballer Mary Earps’ name in the headlines a lot lately – arguably more than any time since her heroics at Euro 2022 – but many of you might be wondering why exactly she is facing so much criticism at the moment.
It’s not too complicated or long of a story, but it isn’t an entirely straightforward one either.
Put simply, the ex-Manchester United goalkeeper and now former England number one has just released her own autobiography entitled All In, which certainly seems to stay true to its title, as the 32-year-old has laid bare quite a lot of behind-the-scenes information.
With that in mind, the majority of the drama has come from the England camps and her relationship not only with the national team but with women’s manager Sarina Wiegman and, most notably, the shotstopper who unseated her as first-choice between the sticks for the Lionesses: Hannah Hampton.
Dropping on 6 November, she prefaced the release on social by writing: “Every chapter comes from the same place I play from: heart first, full commitment, no half measures.
“For me, there’s never been a halfway. I’ve always been all in. This book is a reflection of that mindset: relentless, honest, unapologetically me.”
While it sounds like an interesting invitation to hear the keeper’s most candid comments on the surface, that’s also ended up being a big part of the problem, with some of her supposed honesty surrounding England and her shock retirement from international football being seen as airing ‘dirty laundry’.
At the very least, many within the sport have questioned whether the tell-all approach has crossed a line of sorts, with several high-profile professionals arguing that what goes on in the dressing room should very much stay in there.
One such individual is the now-retired England and Man City legend, Ellen White; the Lionesses’ leading all-time goalscorer suggested that Earps virtually broke an almost unspoken rule between players by making such public remarks.
One of the main threads running throughout this ongoing drama is the perceived ‘beef’ between Mary Earps and Hannah Hampton, with the latter having previously been dropped from the Lionesses squad over reported issues surrounding her “attitude.”
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old has returned to the lineup and helped Wiegman’s record-breaking side win a second consecutive European championship, but as you can see in excerpts below, Earps didn’t exactly agree with the decision and her own treatment as a result.
Her more senior Nottingham-born counterpart has slightly doubled back in terms of tone since the release of the book – well, rather clarified that she has maintained nothing but “respect” for both individuals throughout, regardless of their various differences.
The two shared the stage alongside head coach Sarina Weigman at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony as Hampton picked up the Yashin Trophy, with Earps passing her the award as she gave a powerful speech on behalf of women’s football in a moment in which she said it meant a lot to have her there.
Nevertheless, the undercurrent of rivalry still played as a backdrop and has now been largely overshadowed by what could have otherwise felt like a baton-passing moment.
— HamptonFC MBE 💙 #justicefornüsken (@hamptonfc24) October 31, 2025
It’s more than evident that not everyone has agreed with the tone or, at the very least, the timing around these apparent revelations.
Another retired England women’s legend, Eni Aluko, said exactly that in a recent interview with Sky Sports, though she did express hints of empathy for her situation and how the quotes have been taken, with Earps claiming that the so-called rift has been somewhat blown out of proportion/exaggerated.
On the other hand, not unlike the reaction to how she handled her United contract negotiations before ultimately leaving to join PSG, others have also criticised how she responded to competition for her starting spot from the head coach, especially as plenty would consider this part and parcel of the job.
Not all of her previous teammates have responded negatively, though; fellow Lionesses star and Man City defender Alex Greenwood has come to her defence, recognising the importance of her “massive personality”, which has done wonders for female goalkeeping and the game as a whole.
Applauding her willingness to challenge both things and people, even in difficult situations, Greenwood admitted that, besides the bond she developed with Earps as they came up through the youth ranks together, adding that she wouldn’t often “say what you’re thinking” even if others wouldn’t.
It’s also worth mentioning that there is a whiff of irony around her seemingly taking issue with a then-even younger Hampton being given a ‘second chance’ following behavioural issues, despite Earps herself being brought back into the fold in 2021, having not played since November 2019.
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Safe to say there are a fair few moving parts to this, but based on what we do know (there’s certainly more we don’t and probably never will), what do you make of the ongoing Mary Earps drama?
You can see her watershed interview with BBC Sport here.
Emily Sergeant -
15th June 2021 
