Bloomfield shopping centre is one of those places that I don't choose to go to .I only come here if…read moreI have too. I just feel that it is either quite a dead place to visit or it is so busy that the experience of shopping here can be quite traumatic! In honesty the place has improved over the last year and there have been quite a few new business opened up and some of the original ones have restructured but there still is something about the place that unlike other shopping centres doesn't entice me to want to stay and browse . In its defence there are a lot of new business opening which might improve the complex but I don't think anything would make me want to give up my precious time and come here for a days shopping .

Lots of decent shops. And growing…read more Can be very busy with people. Good that there is a food court. It doesn't have loads of seating though.

For me, Ards Shopping Centre isn't the kind of shopping centre you go to for a premium shopping…read moreexperience - it's more of a Bon Marche and Claire's Accessories kind of place. There are a couple of redeeming shops - River Island and McGees Butchers are worth a visit as is Belleek Living which is upmarket and a little out of place. Looks like it's showing off a bit with its luxury ceramics. I am also a bit of a Primark bargain hunter and while the branch in Ards is small, it seems to have some of the better bits you find in the bigger stores, particularly PJs. For a Primark raid, park behind the centre rather than in the car park and nip in the back door. If you do, you'll pass a line of cafes which are dated and forlorn but seem to do good business nonetheless. There are a couple of nicer places to grab a sandwich like Esquires coffee shop and the juice bar next door. There is a really big branch of Asda which does a good range of ladies and kids clothes and I've picked up a couple of good bits and piece for the kids there. All in all, Ards is somewhere for a functional shopping trip rather than a leisurely browse. You'll get your groceries and maybe pick up something in River Island or Primark. Or a fancy ceramic vase in Belleek Living.

About time I updated my review for Ards Shopping Centre from 2010 - so, what's changed? Much like…read moreother shopping centre's this one has a whole load of vacant/closed shops which is always sad to see. But let's focus on the positives. Ards has a good amount of big brand stores - River Island, Asda, Primark and a Boots store. One class addition to this centre is a soft, FREE children's play area - a perfect place to leave the kids or appease them after shopping. One thing Ards has abundance is parking - you won't struggle to find a space. There's also a Burger King and a Movieland cinema on the grounds so if you want to make a day of it you can. I'm taking a star off Ards for the amount of empty stores - perhaps give the empty units to independent retailers - it would definitely take the bad look off the place.

No wonder my mum is always raving about this Tesco. I was in Ards yesterday completing the dreaded…read moreMOT and I needed to stop somewhere to grab a bite before the test but If you know this area of Ards you'll know there isn't a coffee shop in sight - so I had to pop in to Castlebawn Tesco. First up, this is a purpose build Tesco - by that I mean it was commissioned and built by Tesco. It has a Petrol Station on site and a good 500 car parking spaces. Inside there's a florist, butchers section, clothing area and of course a huge food area. From the outside it looks small but inside it's vast! I was only popping in for a sambo and luckily there they were right at the entrance. This would be a great place to complete the 'big shop' as there's not much they don't stock. A-OK in my book - nothing to complain about and it does it's job just fine!

I have to say that I have always been a fan of tesco ever since it arrived on our Northern Ireland…read moreshores all those years ago.I think that this store has to be my favourite .it's situation just on the outskirts of Newtownards makes it very accessible for the whole of Co Down . There is ample parking although the lay out I find a bit confusing. The store itself is spacious and has the usual good layout of all Tesco stores This is a Tesco direct so it has a range of bigger household and electrical items. The range of clothing is particularly good and there are always fantastic bargains to be had. It's the sort of store that you can rush in for that one essential item or spend a good time doing that big shop or just browsing around for ideas for a later date. It is always busy but not to the point where you feel exasperated so I think that's a good reason to give it a try if you haven't already done so.

I love this place. We were on a tour and I wanted some sweets to take home and to give to my…read morestudents. A giant gummi poo? I think I will buy that! 1 pound 99p- what a bargain! Also bought Taytos, Penguins, Walnut Whips, fudge, and other assorted goodies. 23 pounds later- I had 2 large carrier bags filled with goodies. And everything was lovely. Also picked up some sundries we were missing- bought a sewing kit and a mirror and some toothpaste and floss- since one of my students had lost theirs. This place seems to be perfect for the budget traveler- they've got a bit of everything and it's all priced reasonably.

B and M bargains in Newtownards is on Regent Street right in the middle of the market town, it has…read moreexcellent parking and loads of ATM's nearby. So what does it sell? It is hard to put your finger on what type of shop this is but one thing is for sure it has become very popular recently. This is sort of a brick a brack shop selling cut price sweets, fixtures and fittings for your home, toys and industrial goods. It is one of those shops you would go to if you just want to have a nosey around and are not quite sure what you want. The staff are really helpful too, today I watched one of them go out of there way to search the stock room for two cushions for an old lady. They always have plenty of staff on too, so you will not be searching for anyone to help you.

Blimey, Wardens should be renamed "The Never-Ending Store That Has Just About Everything"…read more Seriously. I have many fond (ahem) memories of being dragged, I mean brought, down to Wardens with my parents. Usually the visit was a long and tiresome, er, lengthy and informative one, consisting of mum and dad dandering round the furniture department, the decorating department, the gardening department, and the kitchenware / appliances department. Every ten year old's dream really. These days, I definitely appreciate Wardens much more than I used to. You could literally spend all day in the place, browsing the various departments. If you come in off High Street, you are greeted by a beautiful gift section, filled with ornamental goods, china, glassware and the like. You can find everything from Alice in Wonderland figurines to Goebel cats to Denby pottery to Tyrone Crystal. Seriously good stuff. Following on from this is the gardening / pets / kitchenware / decorating department (they sort of merge into one), in which I found a little jar of Jellybeans (considered purchased). Really goes to show the variety of goods Wardens has. The furniture etc department (you know what I mean...pictures / frames / carpets / rugs and all that jazz) lies beyond this, leading out towards the car park which is located off South Street. Parking here is advisable - Ards is an absolute madhouse when it comes to trying to find yourself a space. You just never know what you'll find in Wardens...there truly is something for everyone.

Warden's is, for me, the best bits and bobs shop in Newtownards. It's one of those huge big…read moredepartment stores with lots of different areas and slops and upstairs and downstairs areas and parts where tall people have to duck and fat people have to squeeze. It stocks everything from bespoke wedding hair pieces to hose pipes. It's a general store not unlike the department store on the popular BBC comedy of yesteryear 'Are You Being Served?' There is a section for wallpaper and paint, cookware, furniture, artwork, jewellery, screws and garden accessories to name only a small fraction. The only thing I will say is that it can be expensive and parking out the front is impossible. Go out the back to park, you will have to pay and display even if you are only nipping in as there is a traffic warden lingering somewhere all the time - don't risk it. Although the store is expensive it does stock a lot of bits and bobs and the sales are pretty good.

This is a relatively new shop which can be found in the new Castlebawn shopping complex and unlike…read moresome of its kind I find this one quite good to shop in. There is a wide range of products from household to food ,pets ,toys ,gardening diy and of course seasonal. Their prices are very competitive and in most cases with this type of store you get what you pay for, but most of the products are of good quality. I went in to have a look for items suitable for filling a shoebox which is a charitable appeal at Christmas and I was pleasantly surprised because I was able to find almost everything that I needed to fill these boxes for a very reasonable price and the quality of the products was of a high standard. The layout of the shop is good with nice wide aisles to allow browsing space,and the shelves are of a suitable height to allow ease of reach. Staff are frindly and helpful and I noticed that everyone was greated personally by the staff on the tills . It was quite a pleasant experience shopping here and I really was delighted when I got the receipt as I expected to be paying an awful lot more.

The Poundland in Ards Shopping centre is about as famous as a Poundland gets, the reason is that…read morethis very Christmas Christine Blakley from One Show Fame and Frank Lampard from Chelsea and England football stardom were spotted buying presents from Poundland. If it is good enough for Frank and Christine then it is good enough for me. Everyone knows the idea behind Poundland, it sell sweets, home ware, stationary and just general brick-a-brack all for a single pound coin. This Poundland is no different but you might recognise its shelves from a Christmas issue of Heat Magazine. If you want to be as famous as Christine and Frank then shop at this very Poundland.

Argos is brilliant for catalogue and reserve and collect shopping with every type of item possible…read more I like the fast pay machines to avoid queing . Its good not having to wait for long to get things.

This is an offshoot of the success of the Bangor Focus Menswear but it still offers the same…read morequality and service. I would not tend to buy clothes from this shop but I have hired formal wear from this outlet. They are pretty lenient with the rules. I brought my suit back a day late covered in booze and god knows what else and they did not charge me an extra penny. I think they even uttered the phrase, "it happens!" It is refreshing to have a company being reasonable and human with it's customers. The price is really good too staring from £30 for formal wear hire.

I honestly didn't know there was a Focus Menswear store in Ards but after seeing a Facebook ad I…read moreheaded over. They are currently selling suits from £25,.good quality stuff too, to make room for a refurbishment. And it's in need of one too. Only one changing room, and the store - downstairs at least is quite cramped and coed with stock (although that could be because of the sale). The two sales staff were very helpful and attentive, as you would expect from a suit retailer). All in all I had a pleasant experience shopping here. They did try to upsell me more items, but that is also to be expected and they weren't pushy about it. I got a very nice, good quality grey suit for £31 (I'm paying the extra £6 to have the trousers altered) and I will definitely be back there to shop again!