Manchester Airport has opened a new shop in Terminal 1 and one new restaurant will be opening in Terminal 2 in September. The Sculpts, a design business started by a Mancunian couple during the pandemic, opened in Terminal 1 on August 19 and offers a wide range of handmade homeware and souvenirs. Its products are made in the city and inspired by Manchester’s cultural scene.
Products include greetings cards, prints, textiles, mugs, and the business’ signature ‘alphabet tiles’ with each letter accompanied by a hand-drawn illustration of a part of Manchester’s heritage from the Worker Bee to Stephenson’s Rocket and Factory Records. The Sculpts has opened its doors at Manchester Airport (Image: Manchester Airport) The Sculpts started trading as an online retailer in 2020 and opened its first bricks-and-mortar store in Sale last year but will now have the opportunity to reach millions of potential customers from across the planet at Manchester Airport. Having branched out from an online business to outdoor markets, The Sculpts opened a pop-up stand in John Lewis over Christmas in 2021 and 2022 and took up permanent residence at Altrincham Market.
Some of Manchester’s best-loved cultural institutions now stock the company’s products in their gift shops, including Manchester City Art Gallery, John Rylands Library, the National Football Museum and Whitworth Gallery. This year, The Sculpts are collaborating with MTV to create an exclusive design for more than 100 world.