Where "Manchester" Comes From
The name comes from the city of Manchester, England, the powerhouse of Britain's 19th-century cotton industry, which supplied most of the sheets and towels shipped out to the colonies after 1788.
The goods were simply called "Manchester goods," and Australia kept the name long after Britain itself dropped it.
“Sheets are on sale in Manchester on level two.”
“She works in Manchester at the big department store in town.”
We need new sheets, let's check the Manchester section at the department store.
How Aussies Actually Use It
Still the standard term in Australian department stores and shopping centres for the bedding and linen department.
Manchester is one of those words that quietly gives away how old some Australian shop terms are. In a department store, the Manchester section is where you will find sheets, pillowcases, towels and quilt covers, and shoppers looking for bedding will often be pointed there. Most people simply use it as a shop-floor label, without thinking about the English city.
It is now most common on signs, in catalogues and among older shoppers, and younger people may say "bedding" or "linen" instead. Learners can be caught out, since "Manchester" on a store directory has nothing to do with football or travel. It is a neutral, practical word with no slang edge, so it is safe in any context. If you are asking a shop assistant where to find towels, "Where's Manchester?" works, and so does "Where's the bedding?", so you will be understood either way.
See also: Doona (the main item you'll find in Manchester), Lay-by (a traditional way to pay for big purchases), Op Shop (the second-hand alternative).
Has nothing to do with the English city or football club today — it's purely a retail category name.
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