Oldham Council plans to make March a month of celebration for the borough's independent businesses.

The authority is transforming an empty retail unit in Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre into a pop-up shop called Oldham Made. 

Open from 1 to 31 March, the store will sell items such as crafts, clothes, gifts, locally brewed beers, and candles sourced from a range of independent businesses across Oldham.

The council says the idea for the shop was born out of public consultations with residents at the recent Big Oldham Conversation events, where plans for the town centre redevelopments were discussed.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Councillor Arooj Shah, Oldham Council Leader, said: “Oldham Made will showcase the amazing range of talent we have in Oldham, while giving our local entrepreneurs and makers a helping hand.

“By providing a space where small businesses can come together to show off their fantastic range of products, we hope to create a buzz about shopping small, shopping local, and shopping Oldham Made.

"But what's really exciting is that Oldham Made is just one small part of our plans for Spindles and the regeneration of our town centre, and just one of the many ways we're supporting the small and independent businesses doing awesome things in our borough.”

The shop will be fun and quirky, with lots of larger-than-life installations, Instagram-worthy elements, and plenty of exciting product demos for shoppers to get involved with.

From 5 March, visitors to the store will also be able to collect four specially designed bags for life. All they need to do is spend £5 in an independent shop in Oldham, then bring their receipt to the Oldham Made store and exchange this for their exclusive bag.

The Oldham Made shop will be open Monday to Saturday from 9am until 5pm and is funded by The Welcome Back Fund, set up by the European Regional Development Fund and Her Majesty's Government.

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