An iconic Northern Quarter store which boasted the Gallagher brothers as regulars has announced it will be closing. It has been reported today (March 9) that Oi Polloi's founders are currently in talks with the owners of the company, JD Sports, over the future of the brand.
Oi Polloi was founded by Steve Sanderson and Nigel Lawson more than 20 years ago and sells a menswear range from brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Keen and Patagonia. It has been owned by Bury-headquartered sportswear giant JD Sports since May 2021.
Famous Mancunian faces, from the Gallagher brothers, Ian Brown, and Bernard Sumner, were often spotted at the store with two London shops also opened as the brand's Manchester allure rose. In 2014 trainer fans camped outside the shop for two nights for the chance to buy the rare ‘Ardwick Adidas’ shoes.
READ MORE: Iconic Northern Quarter shop set to close
Liam Gallagher, Oasis's former front man, led the tributes and disbelief that Oi Polloi may be no more. "Best shop in the UK," he tweeted in response to a fan describing it as the 'best shop in Manchester'.
This was after Liam's initial anguished reaction to having seen the news in which he said: "Oi Polloi closing down noooooooooooooooo... there is no GOD." A fan replied with a picture showing Liam strolling out of the shop with an Oi Polloi bag in hand wearing a tweed trench coat just about perfectly symbolising the shop and Liam's post.
Brother and former band mate Noel was also clearly a fan of the shop, with a 2016 video going viral of him walking out of the shop before being pranked by a skateboarder from opposite shop NOTE. Noel is yet to publicly react to the news in the same way as Liam.
Many on Twitter expressed their sadness at the potential changes to the longstanding store. @talkshowband said: "Oi Polloi was an absolute bedrock of my teenage years. The amount times I went in just to look through the rails, (and copy what the staff were wearing)."
@grandsonstudio said: "Really sad to see this - Oi Polloi was THE clothing store. Always loved making the pilgrimage there. Sad to see all these indie stores having to close."
@GeorgePuddle said: "Woke up and it turns out the Oi Polloi closure wasn’t a bad dream… seriously crap and unexpected news that, half me wardrobe has come from that store. Begging that it gets saved somehow!"
@seaned75 said: "Jesus. Oi Polloi going now. There's only gonna be Flannels and END. Left."
It has not been announced which of JD Sports' brands will take over the shop. The retail giant declined to comment when approached by the MEN.
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