Christmas Shopping at the Trafford Centre, Manchester

Christmas Shopping at the Trafford Centre, Manchester is one of the festive shopping highlights in the UK. People travel from far and wide across the country to visit the Trafford Centre for their Christmas shopping and I feel so lucky to have it right on my doorstep! Now it’s December, I thought it about time I started my own present buying trips for this year, and so this week I popped down to the Trafford Centre for a full day out to get some shopping done and have a spot of pampering at the same time…

When I first got to the Trafford Centre, I noticed signs for a car wash and valet and as my poor grubby new Countrypolitan Fiat 500 needed a little clean, I decided to check it out… And this was no ordinary car wash! With signs promising your car to be pampered while you shop, I decided to give it a go. All the staff were extremely friendly and promised to look after my car 100% and if I was unhappy I would get a full refund! They’ve already had tons of celebrity clients and so I was excited to leave my baby yellow in their hands!

So, I dropped off my car and went in for a spot of shopping. The Trafford Centre has a whole range of high street and high end shops, ranging from fashion to beauty to technology and home including some of my favourite brands such as Topshop, H&M, REISS and Zara. There’s also some shops which aren’t in the rest of Manchester including Victoria Secret, which is pretty rate to find in the UK outside of London.

There’s tons of stuff to choose from and it’s the perfect location to get items for your whole friends and family under one roof (especially as it’s get so rainy in Manchester!). Of course, I couldn’t resist popping by Kiko in the Trafford Centre – the first Kiko shop in the UK outside of London – to check out their new lipsticks. Hey, Christmas shopping doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself too, right?

After I had shopped ’til I dropped I visited Oh You Pretty Things Champagne Bar in the Trafford Centre food court. Instead of all the usual chain restaurants, Oh You Pretty Things is an exclusive bar specialising in bubbly and sweet treats including homemade cupcakes. This year, they are specialising in offering a Champagne Afternoon Tea which myself and my guest indulged in. Having driven there, I confess to only posing with the champagne (drinking water instead!) but I truly went to town on the delicious stack of scones, cakes and sandwiches we received. It was truly delicious and the perfect way to take a break between Christmas shopping – I would highly recommend for a girly day out!

To turn it into a truly girly day out, I visited Murad in Debenhams Trafford Centre for a facial. Murad is one of my favourite skin brands ever and I plan to do a whole blog post about the products they used, but just to let you know that Murad offer complimentary facials in the Debenhams Beauty Hall and they are SO worth it! The staff are so lovely and make you completely forget that you’re on a busy shop floor; as soon as the facial starts it’s like you’re in the middle of the spa. Bliss!

After a spot more shopping, my day was done and it was time to get back to H20 Trafford Centre to see how my car was doing! Giving over my name and password (so that your keys are super secure) I was presented with the most sparkling, beautiful vision of a sunshine yellow car… It was so clean I barely believed it was my own! It was shining more than the day I brought it home!

H20 Car Valeting had truly looked after my car and so it was no surprise to learn that over half their customers are female – hey, I’m one of them! It meant a lot to me to be able to leave my car in a place that was safe and secure, with a guaranteed safe parking spot whilst I went to shop, and that no matter what time I was finished at the Trafford Centre there would always be a way to collect my keys (whether from their friendly staff via my verbal password or in a secure locker with a password only I know).  Although H20 are fairly new to Manchester, the company is actually 13 years old and has 10 sites across the UK and USA with experience working on valeting Bentley’s and Mercedes, showing just how trustworthy the company are. Leaving my car in their safe hands gave me peace of mind and I have been showing off it’s beautiful new condition since!

So, I hope I have given you some indication of what you might be able to do during a day out Christmas Shopping at the Trafford Centre. There’s tons of activities, shops and restaurants to keep you busy all day long. Or, conversely, plenty to help you unwind and pampered for a day instead!

Do you plan on visiting the Trafford Centre soon? Leave me a comment and let me know – I would love to hear from you!