The area around the Abbey Centre has grown over the last few years to become as much of a draw as…read morethe shopping centre itself. My first stop is always the huge branch of TK Maxx. How I love that shop, with its shoes and home wares and clothes and jewellery and stuff, stuff, stuff. Always a bargain to be had - I even lugged a huge chest of drawers out of there once. After paying for it of course. Curse those efficient security guards. There is a branch of every high street shop you can think of - Mothercare, Pets at Home, M&S, Tesco, JJB Sports, Matalan to name a few. I always like a look around Matalan where there are some bargains in ladies and children's clothes and a selection of birthday cards and invitations which has to be seen to be believed. Make a quick pit stop in McDs and you'll be ready for round 2 in the shopping centre itself. The Abbey Centre is pretty big, with several different 'wings' coming off the central point. Highlights for me are River Island, the bargain emporium that is Primark, Top Shop and Wallis. Apart from clothes, I also like going to the Abbey Centre for books - Stewart Miller and Easons always have offers on new releases. Chick lit I'm afraid to admit but someone has to read them.

Ah, my good old friend, the Abbeycentre. How I love it…read more Just a short trip up the road from me, I have been shopping here for as long as I can remember, and take a browse around its' many shops at least once a month. There is a large amount of on site parking, so you can usually get parked with ease (unless you go stright after Christmas when the January Sales are in full swing) then its an absolute free for all! There are many shops here to suit all pockets, from sport shops, to fashion clothing, from banks to mobile phone and gaming shops, from card and gift shops to butchers, you will get pretty much anything you want at the Abbeycentre, without the headache travelling into the city centre can bring. There is even a new Poundland store for some of the old bargain hunting. And long may it continue!

Not the most exciting review as everyone kind of knows what they are getting from Marks and Sparks…read morebut I felt like this one needed to be written due to the size of this particular store. It seems at the minuet M&S 'express' stores are popping up all over the place but this one breaks the current trend as it's warehouse huge! It's surface area is easily larger that a football pitch! But is bigger better? Well, in this case yes because this store stocks everything you could possibly want - clothes, homeware and food a plenty! I visited on Valentines Day eve to grab a Dine in Meal for two, this was my first time here and I was impressed. The food section is great - there's a larger selection than other stores and this means they have unique products - particularly craft beer. We went quite late on a Friday evening and there was loads of reduced food items - so if you're looking for premium food at a cheaper price go here later in the evening. The staff were extremely friendly and very chatty, the lady on the tills chatted to us for a good 10 minutes, mainly because there was a problem with the card machine but she made the whole experience light hearted. As mentioned you generally know what you're going to get with M&S but I'd recommend going here if you're looking for something specific as it will save you searching one of their smaller stores!

MASSIVE. This is the biggest M&S i ever did see. It has restaurants and cafes and clothes galore.read more

This branch of Argos is located inside the Abbeycentre. It's a bright and spacious branch with lots…read moreof floor space and eye catching displays. They have a good number of tables with the catalogues available and I've never had to stand around waiting to get to one. You can check if your items are on stock using the handy computer at each station, and you can pay at one of the two self service stations, or use a cashier. They have a decent sized seating area for customers to wait for their item to become available.

The layout is similar to any Argos store. It's a bonus that is is part of the abbeycentre as no…read moreproblem with car parking. Is also beside the top car park.

Great bargains to be had here! They sell pretty much everything! - Food, pet supplies, home…read morefurnishings, furniture, toys, garden equipment, clothes, DIY kit, you name it, great prices. My one niggle about this store and the reason for 4 stars not 5, is the staff. I as a customer on every visit am made to feel as if I am 'in the way' - there are staff about constantly pushing cages and restocking shelves - maybe it would be a better idea to do this stuff outside customer access hours to free up space for customers? Also when I was there once I witnessed one staff member 'disciplining' another - unprofessional! Aside from this it's a great wee store and I'd be a regular!

Only opened last year, sells everything including paint and diy stuff a lot cheaper than the big…read morelocal diy stores. Loads of parking at it. On the old currys/pc world site.its usually quick to get served at lunchtime too

I am love, love, loving Sports Direct. It is without a doubt the cheapest outlet for brand name…read moresports goods I have come across. You'll find all the well known labels like Umbro, USA Pro and Nike at prices you won't believe. The last time I went, I bought Nike trainers for £30 and USA Pro gym gear for £8 a piece. And they weren't from 5 years ago either but up to date styles. There's also tracksuits, socks, sports bras (are you allowed to write 'bras' on Yelp?). The men's' section has trainers, running shorts, trainers, socks, fleeces and sports bags. Again prices are unbeatable. Junior sports fans will love the footballs, rugby balls, trainers and the biggest range of football team accessories I have ever seen.

I get that the shop's marketing strategy is to offer cheap goods and with that you have to expect a…read moreless than stellar standard of service but even then this Sports Direct (although generally most of them aren't great) is appalling. The staff seemed to put serious effort into being unhelpful and the conduct of one particular member was practically criminal. As a rule it's probably not a good idea for a staff member (especially when male) to check if a changing room is empty by popping his head over the door (especially when it's a pre-teenage girl using it). If anyone was considering going here I would recommend instead diving head first into a gravel pit containing broken glass, going anywhere else and then still considering yourself ahead for the day. Also screw Mike Ashley.

5 star from me for this store. They have a huge selection of…read morefresh baked pastries and bread and loads more. They also have a wide range of alcohol in this store. They just never seem to sell out of anything which is brilliant because I can always rely on this store. And what's best for me is the fact they have a huge car parking area right outside which means no hawking loads of bags for ages.

This branch of this furniture outlet shop is one of the two branches set up recently in…read moreNewtownabbey, the other in Glenville Industrial Estate. This branch has only been open a short while though it seems to do a good trade. There aren't many furniture shops in this mall, although in the surrounding area you will find many of them so this shop must benefit from passing trade in the Centre. My parents call in here now and again to check out what new stock they have brought in as we found two beautiful matching lamps here a while ago and they have been looking for a table to place them on, (apparently the old one won't do!) The lady who owns this shop is really pleasant, I've spoken personally with her a number of times and she really enjoys this venture of hers. If you're looking to update your home with new furniture then call in and see what's on offer, you'll find some great stuff.