4 Amazing Manchester Businesses

The northern powerhouse of Manchester has been forging its own economic path for years. One of the reasons Manchester has been able to attract top talent is due to some of the city’s well-known brands. From entrepreneurs rivalling big corporations to huge organisations themselves, here are some of the brands representing Manchester to the world. 

Oi Polloi

Oi Polloi is an independent menswear boutique offering branded designer clothing and was founded in Manchester. A few brands you’ll find here include Stone Island, Universal Works, Patagonia, Adidas, and Engineered Garments. You’ve probably seen Liam Gallagher wearing Engineered Garments. 

Founded by Nigel Lawson and Steve Sanderson in 2002, Oi Polloi has amassed somewhat of a cult following. The retailer also regularly creates collaborations with the sector’s leading brands. The website is quirky, and you can expect to find the latest product drops alongside editorials debating the style inspiration of the likes of Christopher Robin and Tintin.

You can head to their shop in Manchester’s famous Northern Quarter at 63 Thomas St, Manchester M4 1LQ. It’s mint.

https://www.oipolloi.com/

The Hut Group

One company that has taken advantage of the e-commerce revolution is The Hut Group. They’re actually so successful that they’re not a company, but a group of companies. Some of the names that you may have heard of include ESPA, Lookfantastic, Glossybox, Myprotein, and Coggles. The impressive thing is that it’s only taken the Manchester start-up 15 years to amass so many global brands.

Founded in 2004 by Matthew Moulding and John Gallemore with a £500,000 investment, THG brand started as a white label e-commerce provider before buying and building its own brands. The Hut Group is now across 160 websites in 35 languages.

In September 2020 it completed one of the largest ever floats on the London Stock Exchange with recorded revenue of more than £2bn.  

PG Tips

Arthur Brooke opened a tea shop in Manchester in 1869, selling an array of high-quality teas. Arthur’s business didn’t do too badly over the 150 years that followed. You might have heard of it: PG Tips! 

In 1960 PG tips introduced its first tea bag. The tea used in PG Tips is imported from around the world and blended in precise proportions set by tea tasters at the Trafford Park head office. Our office is 1 mile away from where the alchemy takes place! 

PG tips haven’t just rested on its heritage. In 1990 PG tips launched the revolutionary pyramid® bag. As of late, PG Tips has also completed its transition to become entirely plant-based, removing all plastics from its packaging. 

https://www.pgtips.co.uk/about-us/our-brand-heritage.html

Umbro

 

Umbro was the original sports brand. We’ve grown up with it. Iconic football tops in the ’90s were either made by Adidas or Umbro. 

Umbro was founded by brothers Harold and Wallace Humphreys in Cheadle in 1924. The story began in Manchester, however, Umbro is now sold in over 100 countries worldwide. 

The name is a ‘portmanteau’ of um, from Humphreys, and bro from brothers. See, you learn something every day. 

Although the brand seemed to disappear for a while, it’s most definitely back on the radar, with collaborations including Pretty Green, Nigel Carbourn and AOF (Art of Football). 

Here is a list of honorary mentions of businesses which continue to represent Manchester. We’ll focus on some of these brands in future blogs so keep your eye’s peeled for the next piece.

AutoTrader

Betfred

Bosch

Brother

Henri Lloyd

Kitbag

Manchester United

Manchester City

Missguided

Patak’s

Rolls Royce

Renovo