Life in Manchester

Shopping

Manchester is the retail capital of the North West and it has been described as the place to come for top fashion in the UK. Designer outlets, high-street chains, boutiques, specialists, markets... whatever you need or want, you'll find it in the city.

You'll need a fat wallet or credit card with a high limit in pedestrianised King Street off Deansgate, where you'll find upmarket and designer stores selling top togs from Armani to Westwood, Timberland to Pink, Monsoon to Hugo Boss. It's also home to the only Top Shop Shoes and Virgin Brides shops in the UK.

Along Deansgate, you'll also find haute couture, a children's toy and fashion experience in Daisy & Tom and the old school glamour of Kendals department store and the Barton Street Arcade. Just off Deansgate is St. Ann's Square, another pedestrianised area and home to Habitat, Office, Disney, Past Times, Gap, Penhaligon's and a host of others.

The Northern Quarter is stacked full of independent shops and the famous Afflecks Palace, a multi-storey market inside a wonderful historic building. It's a rabbit warren of fashion stores, second hand treasure troves, clubbing outfitters, hair salons, record stalls and cafés - you should be able to grab a bargain. The Quarter also boasts the Manchester Craft and Design Centre, the former Smithfield Victorian fish market that houses two floors of shops ranging from jewellery, ceramics and textiles to furniture and clothing design.

If you've got a bit to spend though, heading up to Exchange Square and New Cathedral Street is the best idea. Harvey Nichols and one of Manchester's Selfridges (the other is the centrepiece to the out-of-town Trafford Centre) stand facing each other and you'll find nearly every designer name you know (and some you don't) in one or the other. Alongside them is Marks & Spencer's flagship store, Massimo Dutti, Zara, Reiss, the only Heal's outside London and the Triangle. Once the city's Corn Exchange, the Triangle is now a buzzing mix of Karen Millen, Jigsaw, Muji, Green and Benz, Nicky Clarke and more.

The main artery of shopping is Market Street, where you'll find HMV, H&M, Tesco, Debenhams, Adidas, Ann Summers and the Manchester Arndale, one of the largest undercover shopping complexes in Europe with leading names and smaller stylish shops.

Further afield, the Trafford Centre houses around 300 shops and restaurants in its three miles of malls, while Salford's Lowry Designer Outlet offers two levels of big name bargains at the only factory outlet in the city.

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