Yes the store is VERY nice and very upmarket. The Selfridges store (huge!) in London's Oxford St is…read moreIconic in many ways - it was the FIRST department store in the UK and founded by an American who wasn't able to do his thing in the US - there is a TV series about it. It was the first store where women of the day felt comfortable and safe shopping alone.... Growing up in the UK my parents would take me there at least once a year (almost every time we visited London actually - so maybe 3-4 times a year. Yes there were upmarket things, and recently we were there and sure there are many expensive brands with absurd prices. But there are also more "normal" goods for sale. Not so much in Manchester - all Louis Vuitton and simile booths all around. A good friend who knows London very well explained that the smaller Selfridges don't have the room for affordable goods and it is all for the very affluent. So come prepared to go home broke or enjoy a window shop! Even the restaurant upstairs seemed very toffee nosed to be honest- not fun :( Review #4 2020

This is a large Selfridges store, although I do prefer their Birmingham location and their flagship…read moreLondon Oxford Street location (this location appears to be much more basic and laid back than those two, which are both in stunning buildings which stand out massively). I do think this is a good department store, it is one of the largest and more high-end department stores in the city centre, which is a fading game with Debenhams on Market Street closing and House of Fraser on Deansgate soon to follow. The store looks pretty good and is opposite Marks and Spencer in the Manchester Arndale, sadly Selfridges doesn't have a Food Hall similar to their other branches, at this location, this is a real shame - perhaps that is due to the Basement level of Marks and Spencer (a different business) having a large food section? There are two different San Carlo restaurants in terms of eating or drinking inside, I would have loved to see at least a different brand to add something a little more different, similar to what you see in other department stores such as Harrods etc. They do have some unique experiences here occasionally, Manchester City did bring the Premier League and Carabao Cup trophies here a couple of years ago which was super exciting for me as a big City fan. It can be pretty difficult to navigate at first, but they do have a store plan which is somewhat helpful, the store remains modern and clean. Some of the staff seemed a little snobbish and unhelpful, this was mixed as other staff members seemed great and happy to help. 4*

This is just for the Cafe, Not for the Shop…read more We ordered a couple of coffees and come cake while browsing through John Lewis. I'm gonna keep this short as there isn't a lot to say really. The Cafe is drab and so is the food. I don't know why it's so busy. The staff eren't very friendly either, I can think of 10 places much better only a few minutes walk away. No second chances on this one i'm afraid.

I like this branch of John Lewis which is located at the Trafford Centre with plenty of parking,…read moremaking it super easy to pull up and head straight in. It's also very neat and tidy which is pretty important to me as I hate it when a shop is in total disarray (think the hellhole that is Primark) as it just makes the whole shopping experience more stressful than it should be. I've always found the staff to be approachable and friendly and will happily dispense advice on the best toaster or coffee machine for your buck, if you so desire. John Lewis is definitely one of the more premium department stores (not quite Harvey Nics but definitely not Debenhams) so the products and prices obviously mirror this but if you are after gifts or items that are of a higher quality then it's a brilliant option. Another major plus point for John Lewis is that if you sign up for their loyalty card online they send you vouchers for free coffee and cake every month - this sweetens the shopping experience no end!

Harvey Nichols is a chain of department stores, founded in 1831 in London, home of their flagship…read morebranch, they now have 16 stores around the country, including this rather nice branch on New Cathedral Street, alongside many other high end stores such as Hugo Boss, it is easy to find from Manchester City centre, being fairly close to Exchange Square and Manchester's other high end department store - Selfridge and Co. The store is really nice, with a big tall cylinder on the end of the actual store, which I presume to be the restaurant, alongside the food hall they have a really nice, posh restaurant which can be found as soon as you get out the lift on the second floor. This store is really nice and high end, as you walk in from New Cathedral Street, they is a very small level and then a staircase onto the main shop floor, or a lift available which is quite hidden, located near one of the other exits and a small staircase. This branch of Harvey Nichols does something not many stores do, even the lifts are really cool, with shiny silver plates around the lift, to make it quite a cool place and not your typical old fashioned lift, most stores already have. I've been stuck in lifts before, and had so much trouble with them, being stuck in 6 lifts for around the hour, but this lift is actually nice and I was amazed, walking into it for the first time. On the second floor, there is a Bar and Brassere, which is located right after you come out of the lift, and is your typical high-end place with Afternoon Tea available, or you can just come in for drinks. Also on the second floor is a menswear section and a Foodmarket. All the food here seems very nice and high end, with a large amount of posh coffees, with Monin flavouring syrups, and other, less well known brands and other types of coffee and drinks. They even had a small piece of chocolate which was latte macchiato flavour, which looked pretty cool, although through looking at it and the packaging, it was hard to tell what it was. The staff here seemed quite friendly, and they did greet me to make sure I was okay, they seemed to know the brand very well and told me, they didn't stock the Pots & Co, a high-end, premium, moose-like dessert, and he told me, they'd probably only stock it in their flagship Knightsbridge branch, which is a similar situation to nearby Selfridges who also only stock it in their flagship London branch, which is a little frustrating. This store had a nice feel to it, with some really nice products and the store was a nice place to walk around and have a look, although the food market was slightly smaller than Selfridges at the Trafford Centre and Bullring, I still feel it is quite a nice, more modern place and overall a nicer department store, to most other department stores I have visited across the country, including nearby stores such as Marks and Spencer, House Of Fraser and Selfridges and due to this, I feel Harvey Nichols deserves a strong 4 stars as it is a nice place to shop, and with only few locations in the UK, and then around the world, it is well worth taking a look in, if you're a tourist in Manchester, or even a local. UPDATE: The store just feels to me to have declined a bit in terms of Food Hall selection and I feel originally I was amazed as the store was all new to me, but now the novelty seems to have faded and now I feel this store is barely average and instead warrants around a two star rating rather than two.

Staying on the subject of decadence, I decided to do a bit of role playing on Saturday and wander…read morearound Harvey Nicks imagining I was one of the cast of Desperate Housewives. Getting into the part I picked out the following: Christopher Kane high volume dress Mary Katrantzou silk whisky dress Matthew Williamson silk party dress Richard Nicoll panelled wool dress Erdem embroidered alvita dress Vivienne Westwood cowl neck dress & Alexander McQueen dogtooth skirt and jacket Alas, when I looked at the price tags and noticed that they were all between £350-£3,000 I gasped with horror and politely handed them back to a member of staff. Imagine if I'd ripped one whilst trying them on? The only way to have avoided a hefty bill and damaged dress would have been if I'd had Eva Longoria's face and body!

Always my go-to when in need of essentials. Nice affordable…read moreclothing selection (at select stores) Food is very reasonably priced and good selection.

In keeping with our pattern of behaviour on our tour of England it's M&S cafes for great coffee and…read morecake, WiFi, clean toilets, iced drinking water and air con which was useful today as the weather improved a tad. Another two weeks touring ahead. Hey ho.

The West One is a nice retail park in the Salford/Eccles area, I'm going to share the embarrassing…read moremoment that I actually came here by mistake, through making a left turn which I should have made 150 yards or so later according to my sat nav, I was quite impressed at the retail park as it was quite nice, even having a WHsmith to its-name, which seem to be in every shopping mall, every station, every airport, every town centre but still they seem to shy away from retail parks from some bizarre reasoning. It is located just off Junction 2 of the M602 motorway and is quite close to Trafford Park and Old Trafford and even the Lowry Outlet mall, all around one or two miles away. There are a few big names here such as Home Bargains, WHSMITH, Subway and The Carphone Warehouse, still the retail park is only small compared to others, it still is quite decent, quite satisfactory however nothing more than that, I'm sorry to report. It is also a shame this retail park doesn't seem to be making a name for its-self to make it more of a place to visit, through not having a website, there are numerous fast food chains here, as I recall there is both a Subway and a Mcdonald's, two of the largest fast food chains in the world which seem to always not be far from each other, where you can often find them in the same complex. There is also quite a large "Range" store here but that's about it really. The location of this retail park is interesting, with so much around it so it probably isn't the best place to go and shop but still it is quite nice and I do feel it has done enough to earn at least a high two star rating.

West one is the retail park in Salford. On this retail park there are some fest food restaurants…read moresuch as McDonald's subway. There is plenty of parking. There are still a few units empty.

This M&S Outlet store is certainly not the best or most exciting of stores from the Marks and…read moreSpencer brand, it is an Outlet store which mainly gets rid of old, out of fashion clothing which even the bigger stores wouldn't sell anymore, and often might have put on sale with no success in the past, still around sale prices. This is a slightly small branch in the Lowry Outlet in Manchester, they do seem to have made effort to improve it slightly such as with a nicer, slightly more modern and welcoming sign, and I presume this is a new addition for this store especially since it was last reviewed in what is nearly four full years ago. The staff didn't seem to stand out in anyway. I don't normally like Outlet stores and most of the fashion here was nothing great and more out of date rather than modern, which people would want to wear and the prices were just average sale prices and didn't stand out in particular, so I sadly feel this store does deserve a single one star rating.

Peddlers of pricey clothing with a penchant for food porn…read more The rise of supermarket clothing and budget store Primark has seen the once untouchable snobbery and borefest that is the mighty M&S slip sharply from it's perch. The elderly won't be around forever you know! Where's Take That when you need them?

TK Maxx at Manchester Fort is located in a large unit within the retail park, next to Specsavers…read more It is a reasonably large store for two floors, obviously, it does seem a bit like a jumble sale, like all TK Maxx locations, but the store is mostly clean and tidy and easy to navigate, which is good because it was hard to find a staff member on the shop floor to offer assistance. For the size of the store, the selection and fashion never seem to be the best, rather than just OK. There is a small Home section in the store, but nothing on the levels you'd expect to find at Homesense, which is TK Maxx's dedicated homeware brand which seems to have a dwindling number of bricks and mortar locations now. 3* - Reasonable store and a decent size, worth a look in while shopping at Manchester Fort, on the off-chance you might find something, as long as you don't mind a bit of a wait in their queues which always seem long and badly managed.

I have great experience at tk maxx fort Two weeks ago,…read morethanks so much to Lucy one the employee ,by helping me Choosing my carpet and dining table and chairs, I feel like she the right person I have spoken to all my purchases, great customer service ovoroll Thanks again Lucy I'm very happy

House of Fraser is one of Manchester's oldest and most iconic department stores, it was founded in…read more1836 and the huge, impressive building on the heart of Deansgate is still going strong to its' day, despite being part of the House of Fraser group since the 1950s, and having its' current name since 2005, I like how they've stayed true to the roots and history of the store, by having its old name "Kendal, Milne and Co", still being clearly visible at the store's entrances, or Kendalls as it was known to locals. At Christmas, the decorations help light up and add to all of Deansgate, bringing a festive feel which even a Scrouge like myself can appreciate (but come on, just not in November - that's too early!) The facilities inside the store are good, for me with the fragrances, and high-end brands, as well as multiple lifts in the lobby, this feels like one of the Big American department stores, which I've only ever seen before in NYC, and London. The store isn't as good as it used to be, with some facilities/businesses located inside here closed, including a whole floor. With The Restaurant at House of Fraser gone, all that remains is a San Carlo Cichetti, which strangely is located directly opposite their main location in the city on King Street West. 4* - Pretty cool department store, it is sad to see the store deteriorating up until the inevitable closure which has been talked about for the past couple of years. This is currently one of the few branches remaining with many HOF stores closing down.

There's a touch of 1970s sitcom Are You Being Served? about House of Fraser. It's not just the fact…read moreit's the oldest and grandest department store in the city, it's the slow elevators, the confusing floor layouts and the fact you have to buy your clothes from the area you picked them up rather than any till. Trust me, I've tried and failed on different occasions! The thing that really makes me feel I'm wandering around Grace Brothers department store however, is the staff. They're not quite as camp or witty as Captain Peacock, Mrs Slocombe or Mr Humphries but there's definitely an element of disdain and snootiness when you approach them. This might infuriate some people but it always tickles me and makes me wonder if it's part of the staff training! There's beauty products on the ground floor, furniture and electronics on the top floors and lots of men, womens and childrenswear inbetween. Some of it I wouldn't be seen dead in but I usually see at least half a dozen things I like from one of their emerging or established designers. The only problem is, is there anyone to serve me?!

Regent Retail Park is a decent no thrills retail park, the retailers here are mainly focused on…read moreessentials, a large Sainsbury's superstore for essentials, and a JD Sports for sportswear, which also includes a gym. Other outlets here include Costa for a coffee, Boots for a chemist/pharmacy, a couple of discount stores, pound shops and a pet store. It is classed as part of Salford, but it is a short walk from the western edge of Manchester city centre, just head straight down Liverpool Road from the Hilton at Beetham Tower. It's fairly easy to follow and find the stores you need here, but for a smaller retail park, this has to be expected. There isn't anything in terms of food options outside the supermarket, but KFC and McDonald's are across the way. It is easy to access as a pedestrian, and for cars, there is a large car park centred around Sainsbury's. 3*

Not exactly a lot I can write about a retail park. It is what it is, a place of convinience with…read morestores you can use for essentials. Although I still avoid one of the stores like the plague, choosing to travel 4 miles to my nearest equivalent, I do use nearly all the other stores several times a week. With Sainsbury's, Boots, Argos, Home Bargains, Sports Direct you pretty much have everything you will ever need in these stores, not to mention the others. So its a good location and a decent selection of stores. My only downside is the layout, featuring two four way roundabouts in quick succession, it can become rather chaotic at times, especially with idiots and the speeds they drive. But all in all its a good place.

I've had two really good experiences at Hatch now - good cider, good rose, good arancini and good…read morekorean fried chicken. As these are four of my favourite things anyway to find them of such quality sold by people who really seem to care about what they are doing makes it joyous. Well-thought out space too, and I'd like to return when more is open, especially the shops, to get the full flavour. Great to have this 'permanent pop up' addition to the street food scene.

TL;DR - Still great, even under social distancing…read more My first trip out after lockdown and Hatch seemed like a great idea. With all the outdoor seating it's probably one of the safest places in town to grab some food. And we were pleasantly surprised at how they've adapted to social distancing. Entry/exit is limited through a single entrance to the site which is manned. Upon arrival you're greeted and have the rules explained to you. First up you scan a QR code to log your contact details for government track and trace. Then you go to a table and scan the QR code there which brings up the menus of all the food and drink vendors. You can order what you want from any vendor, pay for it through the app and they bring it right to you. As always, good food and drink were on offer. I had a Portuguese chicken burger, Mark had a platter of fried vegan goodies. Once you're done you clear your own table. There's plenty of hand sanitizer as you enter the site, and most of the staff are masked and gloved. We were also delighted to see some staff cleaning tables just because someone had lingered nearby - they're doing a great job of keeping the site safe and clean. I still feel a bit weird about going out since the virus is still out there, but the social distancing and rules they've put in place at Hatch means this is probably one of the smartest choices you could make for eating out right now.