Adidas on Market Street is a large store, the store looks fairly good and modern and has a decent…read moreselection of Adidas products, as you enter the store you can see a lot of Manchester United branding (As a City fan I'm going to ignore that), as well as a smaller selection from other Adidas elite teams including Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Arsenal. They have tried to make the store look as good as possible, in terms of facilities they have a printing area to customise football shirts and products in-store, the more popular players have been pre-printed. The worst part about this store for me is the service, I came in to do a return, dI originally asked for an exchange, however, the product was out of stock but the store made it as hard as possible to get my money back. Despite telling the employee that I did not want to swap for a different item, he kept proceeding to tell me about other similar items they had, even though I made it clear that this product was for a friend, and I would not be able to guess what they wanted. After asking for a refund, I was offered a gift card... twice. Why is Adidas so desperate to keep ahold of my money? Eventually, I was told I could not have a refund unless I presented the original payment card, they are unable to do a remote refund and the physical card MUST be present. I did not have this on me, and the colleague or the manager (unapologetic and rude), also refused to refund me in other methods such as onto a different card, or in cash. I had the item, I had the receipt. Why does it matter which card the refund goes onto? Surely in this day and age, it must be possible to refund a transaction without the payment card being there? 2* - The service SUCKS at this Adidas concept store, I wouldn't feel confident getting a refund if something goes wrong and prices are often higher than buying it from other retailers compared to Adidas direct.

Everyone knows that the place to get the best sneakers is New York…read more If you can't afford a ticket to the big apple however, this Adidas store has a fantastic range of sneakers, training shoes, baseball boots and hi-tops. My personal favourites are the Tokio Hi and Superskate boots - which both happen to be 50% off in the current sale. If you already have enough pairs to open your own sneaker store, this outlet also stocks a wide range of stylish tees, sweaters, hoodies and cardigans - all of which seem designed for casual, everyday wear more than exercise. Since I think the most interesting forms of exercise are breakdancing, rollerskating, trampolining and free-running - I'm down with that!

JD Sports is another one of those places, I've seemed to have forgotten to review, I've visited…read morethis store multiple times since it opened around this time last year, inside the former WHSmith unit of the Manchester Arndale, although the store is larger having used the previous JD Sports unit of the mall. An expanded, modern branch of JD Sports in Manchester, to fit in to the brands identity and reputation in terms of stores was definitely needed, with the previous branches in town being nothing short of disappointing, an old, oddly shaped store (where this one used to be), a depressing store below another sports shop (in Halle Mall which also has been vacated to make way for food units) and a pop-up shop you could barely move in on Market Street (which was built during the renovation of this store before it opened) The store is quite large, and is perhaps one of my favourite sports shops in town, competing with another large store in Sports Direct, but this store for me is better because it is brighter and modern. The staff here seem friendly enough, but sometimes they have seen a little rude, for example I've visited this store a few times now just to buy a bag, as I like the style of bags JD Sports have for carrying my items, most of the time there's been no problem, but around once or twice now they've just plain refused and awkwardly left me to carry a bag which had completely ripped into two, with no apology or sympathy as it's "against rules." The slightly confusing way of picking up orders also lets the store down, you have to go to a different queue in the sports section, which I also found out after queuing in the regular till which was annoying, this should be clearer and I don't understand why it isn't possible to do everything at the same, one and "main" checkout. Most items in the store are priced reasonably, and there is a decent selection on offer, especially of trainers which JD Sports of course pride themselves in with the slogan "King of Trainers" A much-needed improvement has been delivered with this branch of JD Sports, although it certainly isn't without its flaws it is a nice, modern, large store and deserving of a three-star rating, issues with bag gate, occasional price issues with non-sale items and picking up online orders do let this store down, I also sometimes find the choice of music to also be a little tacky and let the store down too, and make it a place to run the hell away from, rather than go in to shop and look at the sportswear, so I feel only a three-star rating is possible for Manchester's JD Sports.

It can and is often the case that with chain stores, of any nature, you lose identity. The brand…read morename just becomes the same old same old store and you get a bog standard experience, whether you like it or not, that you come to expect. Well Lululemon is different! Much different in fact, because although you are still shopping with a vastly successful Canadian athletic apparel company, you gain a sense of connection to the place. They do an unbeatable job of community engagement and offer loads of free activities and educational classes for people, not bad from a shop that sells Yoga pants. They do have a fantastic range of athletic wear and it is by far the best quality products I have ever worn. I've had a pair of their shorts for 3 years and they look and feel brand new. What I love most about this place though is the social vibe the staff exert. Whether you're going in looking to spend £1000 on leggings or just fancy a chat with a friendly face, they are welcoming and will invite you back for a coffee and a natter whilst you are amazed by the excellent products on offer!

I found some boxer briefs on their website that are hard to find in the US. The price was OK and…read moreshipping not ridiculous. So I bought them. Yesterday I got an email from some intermediate outfit wanted me to pay tariff and VAT tax and "facilitation fee" almost as much as the items I purchased. No mention of this on their website at all. I have to decide whether to throw good money after bad. To me, withholding that kind of info is the same as fraud.

I like Sports Direct's Manchester Arndale location, it might not be the prettiest or most modern of…read moreshops inside the shopping centre, but it has a nice selection overall and is much less cluttered than other Sports Direct locations, such as the nearby location on Market Street, elsewhere in the city centre. It is in a good location within the shopping centre, it is basically opposite the escalators and car-park lifts on the lower mall. Most of the staff seem friendly, especially Ste, who is one of the security guards and a fantastic guy. I do prefer the selection of trainers at JD nearby, but the sportswear selection is at least on-par. 4*

Manchester is surrounded by so much amazing countryside, with the great expanse of the Peak…read moreDistrict just a few miles away. It figures that there should be some serious outdoor shops in Manchester's city centre. At first, you would think Cotswold was just a place to buy well made and nice-looking hiking jackets, jumpers and fleeces. If you go beyond the small ground floor you'll soon find that there's an expanse of gear to be found in the basement and on the first floor. Downstairs in the basement, they stock professional climbing gear with helmets, karabiners and ropes all on display. They've got a great selection of maps and videos as well. Upstairs is the place to buy a force-10 gale storm proof tent, if that's what you need. On the stairs down to the basement I found a couple of notice boards, where staff had posted pictures and info about themselves and the outdoor activities they specialised in. It was a nice touch and goes a long way to prove that Cotswold is all about getting out and having real fun in the outdoors with great hiking and climbing gear to do it with.

Home from home, split over 3 floors Cotswold is one of my favourite places. With a good mix of…read moreevery bit of outdoor kit you could need and friendly staff who will endure to go into minor detail of the pros and cons of a variety of equipment. The basement has all your clothes, boots, climbing harnesses, DVDs (I'm just listing equipment). Additionally Cotswold invests time in its clients; because of this you have 20% discounts for university climbing members and the lark. All very nice of them. If you listen to recent weather reports anyway it would seem that alpine clothing is going to see a sharp rise in purchases. Long live Cotswold that's what I say.

In my ongoing quest for a buff beefcake body I thought it was about time I fixed myself up with…read moresome super fly trainers to match my swanky new gym membership... seeing as the previous shoes I had really were not made for anything more than fashion and my ankles were buckling badly! So the good news is that with my wife's direction I made the visit down to Up&Running to go on their in house treadmill and video set up to get a full analysis of what sort of shoes I need for the way my legs move. Wow - what service, after trying about 5 different shoes on and being filmed each time - I found the perfect pair. Maybe slightly more than I was hoping to pay at £80 but they did throw in a free shirt, shorts and socks which was cool so at least I'm now Up&Running (if you excuse the pun...) A really friendly bunch of guys who were helping me and a very professional service. This is one thing I was pleased to not just do online as they really measured me properly and made sure I had the right ones before leaving the store. Definitely check them out if you're needing new kicks for the gymnasium!

Have been meaning to review these guys for a while ever since I bought my trainers here…read more Unfortunately due to having size 8.5 feet I'm pretty constrained when it comes to shoe choice in general and I in particular had very limited colour options which means I now have some horrible 'raspberry' coloured trainers. On the plus side they are good quality ASICS which the helpful staff member dug out of the sale rack - says a lot that they would point me in the direction of discounted shoes to ensure I had the best fit (8.5 being in scarce supply on the full price options). Overall there's limited stock here and I was a bit disappointed I didn't get more advice and use of the running machine to identify a suitable pair, which was basically because there was only one staff member on duty on a quiet afternoon when several people unexpectedly turned up at once (contrast my experience with Jonny's - it might be worth going back another time if you turn up and it's busy). Still you can't go too wrong with ASICS and I noticed when I popped back recently to get a sports bra that of the limited selection they have of bras they also basically just stock the best brands. So while the stock they offer is limited they do seem to have selected the best available, as far as I can make out. Again the (different) staff were extremely helpful and friendly and not at all intimidating to the beginner/intermediate level runner. It's also a very convenient location on Deansgate so easy to drop by if you're in town.

After I got through my early scaly years were I spent most of my time in Helly Hansen and Kappa…read moregear I became oh sophisticated and moved on to Henry Lloyd. I was the business ...I was chic. How misguided?! How far I still was from breaking free from my chav shackles. Don't kid yourself if you're contemplating buying any piece of Henry Lloyd clothing - it could take many more years before you are credible.

I am changing the review to one star. It already happened at least two times, when something is…read morewrong with the product, but according to store manager it's ok (in one of the cases I was able to get money back from the manufacturer). So, according to Blacks manager of the store it's perfectly fine when water bottles are falling out of rucksack on somebody's head. While this store is closing, I have no doubt Blacks will re-employ this wonderful understanding woman.

There are just so many outdoor-type shops on Deansgate, it's an absolute miracle that they all…read moremanage to stay in business? How do they do it? There must be at least six or seven. Ridiculous. Anyway, Blacks is absolutely similar to the rest of them. On the ground floor is where you'll find all the expensive but amazingly waterproof hiking jackets. Not even an ocean of water could get through these heavily gortexed items. Unfortunately, for protection like this you're going to have to pay for it to, and a jacket from Blacks could set you back as much as £200. This is serious clobber for serious hiking action. They do have some cheaper options, you'll just have to search a bit for them. Just like all the other outdoor stores on Deansgate, Blacks has a humungous basement which is where they stock all of their speciality outdoor pursuit gear. Like climbing equipment, hiking boots and camping stuff. This is an excellent shop, but just as excellent as all the other outdoor shops around this area.

Do you like leather? Do you like motorbikes? Do you like both of these things? Do you like both of…read morethese things in a way that has no connotations whatsoever with the Hell's Angels? If the answer to all of the above questions is yes, then you really are going to like Dainese a lot. Dainese sell jackets and trousers that are leather but are all modern and actually quite good looking at the same time. There is some serious biking gear in here and plenty of staff to help you with any questions you might have. They also stock a range of baffling (to me at least) protective devices for your back, knees and things like that. They're meant to stop you getting too hurt when you fly off your bike going at a ridiculous speed around a corner in the Lake District.

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about this awesome place. This used to be my favorite shop. I am not…read morejoking. I've always like bikes and cars, just like a Tom boy. So, I used to ask all the time if any of my friends want a new helmet, or a new little thing for their bikes. Actually, because I was going in here so many times, at some point the owner came to me and asked me few questions. That was the point when I've asked if they need extra staff. Well, in exchange he said that I need to know quite a lot about bikes, stuff, and I left him quite surprised. Anyway, it didn't happen in the end. I got a different job meanwhile. But still, for the sake of it, sometimes I still go in there, happy like a little bunny. One day, I'm going to buy lots and lots of stuff from that shop. It's to dear to me, and too cool to be ignored.