We don’t really think of Manchester as particularly glamorous, but when you think about it, we really do have all the makings of a pretty glam city. Whether it’s sophisticated workout classes, places to rejuvenate and treat yourself, or popular beauty companies that have made it to the big time from our small city, Manchester has been named on of the most glamorous cities in the UK, outside of London.
A new study by beauty brand Catrice has analysed 30 European and 20 UK cities, ranking them based on key indicators such as the number of shopping locations, beauty salons and businesses, spas, fashion and beauty events, Instagram popularity when it comes to fashion and style, and search interest for yoga and Pilates studios.
Manchester has been crowned among the most glamorous cities in the UK (outside of London), with 153,934 Instagram hashtags. The data shows the city loves wellness with 65 spas, 1,816 beauty companies and an average annual search volume of 17,040 for terms ‘yoga’ and ‘Pilates’, plus, Manchester is home to 179 shopping locations and 364 beauty and fashion events.
Funnily enough, some of our northern neighbours also appear in the most glamorous cities in the UK list, including unlikely spots like Preston and Leeds. Although we may not see them as glamorous, clearly there’s something going on that we don’t know, and quite frankly, we’re happy to have some glam company.
The top 10 most glamorous cities in the UK are:
- Manchester
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Leeds
- Bristol
- Birmingham
- Cardiff
- Liverpool
- Reading
- Preston
London, of course, came above Manchester, being the most glamorous city of all, claiming millions of hashtags and a whole host of wellness and beauty locations. The wider study shows that London is the most stylish city in Europe, with 5,599 beauty salons, 2,088 shopping locations and 4,200 beauty and fashion events.
This is followed by Zurich and Paris in second and third place, and the list includes some truly, objectively glamorous cities like Venice, Barcelona and Milan – but watch out, us northern cities are coming for that crown.