For a young Manchester couple, however, redundancy came at the right time, allowing them to invest their redundancy package into realising their dream of launching their own Manchester clothes brand ̶ Uneducated Clothing.

While the government claimed the crisis was over thanks to a ‘recovering economy’, the union claim North West workers are not out of the woods just yet.

The number of people visiting Manchester have soared, with nearly one million people coming to visit the fair city in 2013

Lengthy transport times, rocketing property prices, sky-high living costs – these are just a few of the gripes that Londoners complain of when asked about life in the alpha city.

News comes just a month after it was revealed that Chinese tourists spend, on average, £677 per transaction in Manchester stores

The average salary in the North West is £19,656, while the average house price increased to £155,781.

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics revealed unemployment has risen by 22,000 in the North West

Birmingham beat Manchester to second place

Hundreds of jobs were lost following factory closures

Corner Store on Grosvenor Street accepting Bitcoins

Third of Manchester’s live music crowd made up of tourists