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.

I'm shocked that there are shops in Manchester that know about Nudie jeans, let alone a single shop…read morethat carries them. Are there Mancunians with that large a wad of cash burning a whole through their purses? Impressive! A chill, hipster-y gent sold the boy a super cute pair of Vans (casual shoes that aren't a shade of brown: success!) and explained the origins of the noteworthy bicycle saddles hanging up behind the till. Luxury skinny jeans and posh gear for your fixie... I mean, what else could a Williamsburg-wannabe desire, right?

Good style never comes cheap. This is especially true if you're a man. Most clothing boutiques and…read morehigh street stores cater for women and it's rare you find a store like this that offers so many unique quality items for the discerning young gentleman. This is the only store my boyfriend comes to for his trousers (in particular he Edwin brand of jeans) simply because you can't find them anywhere else. From Barbour to Oliver Spencer, Levis to YMC, they have such a well selected collection of labels that convey the best in British understated style.

Lab sports is a pretty handy place if you are a sports hobbiest and recurring customer. They offer…read morean advantage card free that entitles you to year round discounts and 25% off every £250 you spend at the store. They are also the only unofficial store to carry Cardiff City's footballing merchandise, from Kits to training wear as far as I'm aware. And no Liverpool/Man Utd gear, great! They also do running gear, shoes, Rugby and other footballing goods from what I can remember. The store is brightly lit and you can actually navigate between the products unlike other sporting goods shops. It's not as cheap as discount sports stores but this is for someone who is serious about their sport.

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!

This is one of the many shops like these in the UK and one which specialises in running…read more It has a massive selection of different styles of running trainers, clothing for men and women. I like going to this place for my sportswear because it is a lot cheaper than other sports stores like JD or JJB. They have major sports brands here like Adidas, Nike and Reebok so you know you are getting good quality stuff. This shop has been running for over 36 years so you know it is a good place. The staff are excellent here and will help you in whatever you are looking for. In particular running shoes to suit your shape etc. Take a look at their website for more information and to order goods too.

It's called Run North West now btw. Excellent service which…read moreyou just don't get off the internet. Went to the trouble of getting the right size for my daughter. Was £1 more expensive than the cheapest on eBay, no brainier really. Highly recommended

Simon One is a small store in the Middleton Shopping Centre, in the same store as ISL, but they…read moreremain different shops, despite sharing a space which you can just cut through. They are owned by Loofe's Clothing, who have 4 stores in the Manchester area, which all have different names, this includes two stores in Bury, one in Warrington and this store in Middleton. They have a small range of sports-wear including trainers and football shirts of Manchester's major club, and a club from Trafford, who just share the Manchester half of the name. This store is only quite small, and with the new addition of SportsDirect and a similar store across the way, Branded and an increased number of clothing/fashion shops in Middleton, including a relocated Daniel Christian Menswear, there isn't really a lot here to look at. The staff seem okay, but they don't seem as helpful and as knowledgeable as larger stores, such as Clarks in the shoes department for example. The branding of this store is also a little strange, with the company owning 4 stores but having them all under different names, meaning people probably wouldn't know they are visiting a store owned by Simon One, if the go to a different branch and despite being a well known name to Residents of Middleton, if you ask anyone else, they simply wouldn't have a clue and brand recognition is important to succeed, even if there is only 4 stores in 3 towns, this could increase sales and people wanting to go to stores in the whole brand. Overall, this store over time has been getting worse and worse as the competition has been growing in Middleton and getting better, and better. At one point in time, this store could have got 3 stars but as competition improves, sadly this store doesn't and now compared to the rest of Middleton, unless a major revamp happens it just is another unneeded shop, and sadly deserves a single one star.

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.

Absolutely brilliant service, will definately order again with this company, thanks againread more

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