Ran

Established sneaker fetishists in the North West
Ran was one of the first — if not the first — to laud urban sportswear in Manchester, following the then-​lead of Liverpool, but has made its mark on the city’s scene, followed much later by Note, Wood and Oi Polloi. Ran always impressed me with factory exclusives and Japanese imports, in the early days, but it’s feeling a little tired now. Clearly has a loyal clientele given its longevity in a more obscure part of St Ann’s Square, down the Arcade, but it hasn’t changed in any appreciable way since it opened up as a two-​parter, neighbouring men’s and women’s boutiques. Its staying power says a lot for its stock given the nearby units in Barton Arcade have lost so many similar traders, but it leaves a lot to be desired for atmosphere and service. Worth checking out if you’re in the city, as well as online.

I attempted to place an on-​line order to purchase some Adidas shoes and received an email saying there were «security issues». I explained to the customer service rep that I live in the US and my friend was willing to let me have the shoes delivered to her house. She is moving to California next month and plans to deliver them to me when she comes. After initially trying unsuccessfully to place the order online and pay with my credit card, I was contacted by my credit card company’s fraud department because they were suspicious about the transaction that they saw coming from my credit card to Ran. They must have had issues previously with Ran. They (my CC company) had flagged the transaction as being potentially fraudulent which was why they called me. I confirmed that the credit card was in my possession and that it was indeed me attempting to make the purchase. I approved the transaction with my credit card company and it went through and posted normally. I received an email saying that the order had been received and would be processed.
The customer service rep from Ran (I’m sorry I didn’t catch his name) said that there was a problem because my billing address is different from the delivery address and he said that the delivery address may be «fraudulent». Well of course the delivery address is different from the billing address. That’s why their site has an option to actually state that the delivery address is different from the billing address. He then went on to say that he refused to process the order and that he would credit the money back. They already had my money but wouldn’t allow the sale to be completed! They did credit the full amount back so at least they came through on that one.
I didn’t feel that he was specific as to the issue he had with this delivery address. Where is the proof that the address I want the shoes delivered to is «fraudulent»?
I make on-​line purchases regularly and have never been treated in this manner. I am not a criminal and take offense in being treated like one. I have an outstanding credit rating, am gainfully employed and earn a significant wage.
Is business so good for them that they just turn down sales on a whim? Business certainly won’t continue to be good if this is the manner in which they conduct themselves. There are plenty of other places where people can buy shoes.

This is a great little boutique tucked away in St Anne’s Arcade. I’m very impressed with the range here, and have occasionally picked up a present for my boyfriend from the men’s clothing range (mostly t-​shirts).
Just last week I passed again and ended up getting something for myself — a pair of red Superga canvas sneakers. They’re probably no the cheapest canvas shoes you can find but they much better made and supremely comfortable!

Proving that some men, like all women, look down at a member of the same sex’s feet and judge them. The sneaks in Ran are always HOT off the (shoe) press.
Now I personally like my shoes to look pretty and complement my small 5 ½ size feet. Boys on the other hand also want to draw attention to this unlikely erogenous zone but what do they choose? Coloured soles, attention seeking tongues, stripes and ticks and flicks and limited edition and casual pumps.
The brands here are: Converse, Adidas, Nike, Puma but also lesser known champions of Y chromosome taste such as Sperry, Lyle and Scott and Superga.
Now you can return the favour when you drag him through Kurt Geiger. A fun shoe-​tique with a twin in Liverpool — next stop the world?

Along with its sister shop over in Liverpool, Ran is pretty much as good as it gets if you’re into the 80’s casual look or you play a lot of golf!
Stocking a massive selection of the likes of Lyle & Scott, Clarks Originals, Sperry, Superga, Redwing and Puma this is the shop for the discerning chap who now earns enough money to keep himself out of Topman.
Due to how serious it takes the business of trend setting, there is a constant year round sale section on both the clothing and shoes, making it my tip as the place you most likely to pick up a top quality bargain.
Hidden away from the maddening (or should that be madferrit?) crowd in St Anne’s Arcade, Ran is never to busy and an afternoons peruse can be taken at a refreshingly leisurely pace– helped all the more so by staff who are there should you need them but only too happy to leave you alone if you don’t– spot on.