THING OF THE WEEK

ARNE SLOTS… Liverpool FC may have parted ways with Dutch manager Arne but the fashion brand of the same name has arrived in Manchester, specifically Slotting into a 3,000 sq ft retail unit on the trendy retail boulevard of New Cathedral Street.

Arne replaces Paul Smith next to Harvey Nicks and joins a growing roster of in-vogue clothing retailers targeting middle-class under 40s. Represent, whose hoodies are as ubiquitous as the taper fades of those wearing them, and Arc’teryrx, which specialises in ‘technical outerwear’ for people whose last outdoor endeavour was clinching their Duke of Edinburgh bronze award, are among them.

Arne, which keeps young professionals searching for the sweet spot between a dress shoe and a trainer adequately shod, has signed a 10-year lease and is due to open this month.

Credit: GM Wellbeing Series

TAKING A BREATH… Fear not, they’re meditating, not sleeping on the job. The Sir Robert McAlpine site team at Therme in Trafford took part in a three-minute meditation as part of this week’s launch of the mass meditation event coming later this year in the Greater Manchester Wellbeing Series. 

Companies are invited to take part in one of several three-minute meditations happening on 22 October offering an introduction to differing meditation styles. Mindfulness meditation is proven to have a calming effect on the brain, helping us to step outside our world of worries for a moment. What’s not to like, sign up today.

The World Cup is upon us. Credit: Fauzan Saari on Unsplash

WORLD CUP… Property transactions and planning submissions are likely to be delayed across the board in June and July as football fever spreads and the World Cup steals our sleep and our productivity. Yesterday saw the tournament kick off with co-hosts Mexico brushing South Africa aside 2-0 at the most World Cup of stadia – the Azteca in Mexico City.

The 8pm kick off was hospitable to a European audience, but there are few similarly kind start times during the 2026 edition of the greatest show on turf. Those of a Scottish persuasion will have to navigate a 2am kick-off for their must-win opener against Haiti, while England’s group fixtures kick-off at 9pm, 9pm, and 10pm. Given that the tournament only rolls round every four years, it is likely that fans will swallow the unsociable hours to stay abreast of the action but Uzbekistan v Colombia at 3am maybe a bridge too far, even for the most fanatic among us.

Property companies across the North West have been getting into the World Cup spirit this week with everything from office sweepstakes to stadia colouring books. Euan Kellie Property Solutions has compiled the World Cup of Tall Buildings, which compares the loftiest structures in all of the 48 nations competing at this year’s tournament. If the World Cup winner were decided on skyscraper height, the trophy would be Saudi Arabia’s, with England coming a respectable eighth.

The beacon towers above Liverpool. Credit: PNW

BEACON… Rivington Hark told the Liverpool ECHO recently that it had extended the deadline for expressions of interest in the vacant space at the top of St John’s Beacon due to a high level of interest. Radio City Tower, as it is more commonly known, has been vacant since late 2024 when Bauer Media moved out. The space was launched to market in January 2025 but, 18 months on, remains vacant. But fear not, Rivington Hark, which manages the space and the wider St John’s Shopping Centre, said there had been ample interest in that time. The firm is giving would be tenants until the end of today to pitch their ideas.

Credit: AI generated image using Chat GPT

PLANS… Two big takeaways from Place’s recent study of planning committees were that consultants often go in thinking the odds are stacked against them, and that members either need better training, or need to actually pay attention to their training. Those watching Tuesday’s Cheshire East meeting may have winced more than once.

Not only did one member query how an applicant could appeal “when we haven’t refused it” – it had twice been deferred, in the face of strong recommendations to approve – but another idly mused, in the moments before another item was voted on, how “we’re plagued by these kind of housing schemes” which doesn’t feel like the most neutral language. It was however approved!