Despite being a good size over two large floors and a store one could even get lost in, as well…read morepointed out in the only other review for this store by Ben C, the size of this store is dwarfed by my local House Of Fraser store located at Manchester Deansgate, but the store second closest to me in Altrincham is smaller and less modern than this store, the modern feature is really important for a store in the 21'st century, especially in a shopping mall where they are unlikely to be restricted in terms of planning by restricted buildings etc, as is the case here with this branch of House Of Fraser being located in Gateshead. For me, being able to locate a House of Fraser (HOF) in a mall is incredible but this shows the size of the mall is just huge, for those who didn't know the Metrocentre in Gateshead is the UK's largest shopping centre. The floor seemed a little bit uneven in the stores, there seemed to be a slightly steep slope and individual store for every individual store/brand in the department store. None of the staff seemed too welcoming and friendly - a big let down. The store guide and menu right at the front of the store, which some locations such as Manchester Deansgate and Altrincham do not have is good, and saves you walking around the store for example to see what the restaurant/cafe inside actually serve, and it also helps you find what you want in the store too. A slight struggle in deciding an overall rating as I could argue for either a two or three star rating, albeit the three star rating in this case would be slighlt generous, albeit it is quite a maverick move to actually include a HOF in the mall, I feel this unique and interesting twist gives this branch an edge to just step over the mark and deserve a three star rating.

Ugh, I always get lost in here! There is no set path to follow, and there will always be an…read moreinstance where you are on one side of the store and the thing you need is on the other side. There are lots of clothing concessions like Barbour, French Connection, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and more. The perfume department unfortunately doesn't have an end to it so if you hate being sprayed by the assistants, I advise you to enter through the upper mall or the car park and avoid the lower mall entrance at all costs. There is a pleasant looking restaurant on the first floor called Café Botanico which I will have to check out the next time I come down to Gateshead. Although it looked like the café didn't have their own toilets, so be prepared to walk to the other side of the store if you have to answer a call of nature. The stuff on the menu looks like traditional café fare like paninis, sandwiches and coffee. If you sit by the window, you get the view of angry drivers honking their horns at some of the lunatic drivers who come to the Metrocentre. I actually think this is quite amusing to look at because you will be relaxed in the centre and they will be stuck in their cars with rising anxiety levels and in the middle of bumper-to-bumper traffic jams. I do prefer Jenners and Frasers but this store isn't really that bad. It has just reopened after a facelift which has seen it gain lots more concessions and the aforementioned Café Botanico. All of the flooring has been replaced with birch planks instead of the old laminate. I also like the nice skylight that brings sun onto you when you go up the escalator.

Fenwick is a large department store, located in Newcastle city centre, it's spread over five floors…read moreand is one of the anchor stores at Eldon Square Shopping Centre. Fenwick as a brand has 8 locations across the country and was founded here in Newcastle Upon Tyne. This location is their flagship. The store has entrances on street level (Northumberland Street) as well as entrances from the mall. The store is open until 7 pm on most days, although opening hours can vary, this means they're generally open an hour later than John Lewis, which is the mall's other main department store. The store is fairly attractive, with modern and older parts and the selection again is reasonable. The renovation is starting to show which is ongoing to celebrate the store's 140th anniversary. The Food Hall area reminded me a little of a smaller version of Harrods, pricey for sure but they had a variety of items appearing to be high-quality, including some meats which looked of a fantastic quality. I much prefer the technology section at John Lewis nearby, however - although Fenwick for sure wins on the Food Hall side of things. 4*

I love Fenwicks! It's a fantastic department store with everything you could need under one roof…read moreand my personal go to place for a cosmetics and clothes fix! Whether it be perfumes,international foods from the food hall or homeware products Fenwicks has it all. There's a great choice of places to dine too including an American diner and Cafe 21 for those who literally like to shop until they drop. Plus what a bonus!! Every Christmas time they unveil their Christmas window (which changes each year) and flood Northumberland street with the cheery sound of Christmas music!

The Metrocentre is a large shopping centre in Gateshead, in terms of retail size, it is the…read moresecond-largest shopping centre in the UK. (As of October 2022) The mall offers free parking as well as having good public transportation links, it is around a 20-25 minute bus journey from Newcastle city centre, with an irregular train service, that pulls into the Metrocentre Interchange (attached to the shopping centre), which is even quicker. Anchor tenants include Marks and Spencer, Primark, Next, TK Maxx (featuring Homesense). There is also a large Odeon Cinema. Other stores include: Apple, Currys, WHSmith and many other large brands For a full list, you can check out their website: https://themetrocentre.co.uk/stores/category/shopping It is fairly easy to find your way around the mall, as the larger stores are signposted, if you're looking for a smaller store, it may be best to find out which of the larger stores is nearby, to make it easier to find though. There does tend to be a lack of staff around the mall to ask for help, which is disappointing. There is a good selection of food and drink options, mainly consisting of chains and fast food options, that have multiple outlets around the centre. For example, Costa and Starbucks have three stores, and Nando's have two. 4* - It may not be the prettiest mall in the world, with the centre surely showing its' age in the older parts of the mall, as it opened back in 1986, but it has a great selection of shops, in an indoor environment, well suited to a rainy, cold day.

The metro is a nice place in Gateshead were you can have a nice time at shops. It's also a good…read moreplace to hang about. 5 star!

Now that BHS is gone, TJ's is one of the only reminders of a High Street that didn't consist of…read moreH&M, Topshop, Zara and New Look. It is a bit of a dingy old place if I'm being honest, but they have some killer sales sometimes, which go down well with Newcastle as the shop is usually pretty busy when they have reductions. The ground floor has a small beauty department at the front with clothing and shoes towards the back. There is a small stretch of basement as well which has the bed department. I never find myself buying ANYTHING in here but it is always good to browse around if you are on Grainger Street. Upstairs, they have the homeware department which is extensive. I think it covers the entire first floor! The actual products are a bit dated but they are going cheap at really affordable prices. I think I saw a JML stand too, which I've only ever seen before in Woolworths and BHS! Very rare! If you go upstairs again, then you will be smack dab in the centre of the electrical department. I must admit, it is slightly chilly up there as they usually have all of the fans turned on full blast which is a bit unsettling. Up on this floor is the restaurant which looks fairly decent for what it is. It also boasts big windows with views over Grainger Town. But I have never eaten here so I do not know what the food is actually like. As the final remnant of the 20th century High Street, it does a great job and is worth a visit every once in a while. If you are a younger shopper the clothing is a bit lacklustre and is just rails and rails of granny and grandad clothes.

This is a department store that reminds me of being a child in the 70's. The store is a little…read moremessy and in places quite gloomy but there is usually a good range of goods, particularly branded cosmetics, and the prices are very good indeed. If you like named brands with affordable price tags then come to TJ Hughes, but if you love the big glitzy displays and designer price tags of Fenwicks and John Lewis then this place is most definitely not for you. The store is not in the main shopping areas of Northumberland St. or Eldon Square, but it is fairly central (5 minutes walk from Monument Metro Station). There are no lifts or restaurant, it's quite basic but a good place for a bargain. T J Hughes 86-92 Grainger Street NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Tyne And Wear NE1 5JQ Tel: 0191 222 0017

John Lewis at Eldon Square in Newcastle city centre is a large and modern store and certainly…read morestands out within the mall, which can be said of many John Lewis locations. The store is over four floors and features good facilities that you would expect from any John Lewis department store including a Cafe, toilets, as well as a selection of men's and womenswear, as well as a selection for home furnishing and technology. The staff seem friendly enough when you're able to find someone. 4* - A good store, do be warned it does close very early though, as of October 2022, it closes at 6 pm between Monday and Saturday, and even earlier on Sundays, which is strange for such a large store.

This John Lewis is HUGE, and stocks just about everything you can think of. This is one of its…read moremajor plus points. I find the shopping centre in Newcastle way too big and sometimes just want to grab and go. The layout of John Lewis certainly allows this, and the store displays are always tip top. What is my absolute favourite thing to do here is go round the make up counters, which makes me feel like a princess because everything is so shiny and lovely and nice. Once again, huge props to the staff here, they have always been lovely to me and more than willing to have a natter if they aren't busy.

Newcastle's Debenhams is nice, modern and shiny but every time I pass through it, there always…read moreseems to be something missing. The staff seem very disinterested and are never any help in the slightest. Once I was lost and the girl who "helped" me just lazily pointed her finger to where I needed to be. It was actually the completely wrong direction that I was pointed in too. There is a restaurant on the top floor but it's a bit dark and I'm not really a fan of department store brasseries anyway. On the bottom floor there is a small café which is much nicer and is the shining light of the whole store, serving up generous helpings of chocolate cake and large mugs of coffee. I do like the toy and gift departments as well, but in this store they are allocated a small chunk of the third floor, as far away from the store entrance as possible. You could just use the lifts to get to this quickly but they always have large queues as they are just not big enough for a store of this size. The Metrocentre store should be a role model for this one because I always walk out of the Metrocentre Debenhams satisfied but it is not the case with Eldon Square. Even if the staff had smiles on their faces I would walk out happier!

I am disappointed that NewDay (Debenhams credit company) suddenly increased the interest rate on my…read moreDebenhams Credit card without explanation, forcing me to cancel the card. I have been a Debenhams card holder for many years and consider myself to be a loyal customer. NewDay had a "couldn't care less" attitude when I discussed their reason which leads me to question if Debenhams are aware of the loss of their customers through this method. NewDay are run by the Santander Bank. Say no more...

It's quality all the way. None of your Chinese or Mexican rubbish here. I got socks and tee shirts…read more My wife tells me the socks I chose looked horrible but I liked them. Once on my feet I won't see much of them. I toyed with buying yet another hat to go with the dozen or so I already have but rarely wear. I demurred. She on the other hand bought quite a lot including clothing for gifts. There were a lot of oriental customers with piles of clothing, hats, socks in their clutches.

The store is somewhat off the beaten path in an industrial area to the east of Newcastle. For…read morefolks without a car, the bus or Metro will literally drop you off next to the parking lot. The shop is like any factory store in the states. The front end is all first run merchandise at full UK MSRP pricing - zero bargains to be had there. The back portion is all outlet stuff that is discounted anywhere from 30% (most common) to 50% to 70%. You'll have to hunt through stuff in this section and it can be overwhelming. The sizing is well marked, but stuff tends to get jumbled up, hence the hunting. The staff are polite and try to help, but they seemed to be overwhelmed as well during our visit. You might want to take cash with you as the time we visited their card readers were down. They apparently aren't always good about warning to this and we spent an hour shopping and selecting things to buy before we were told cash only which was very frustrating!!! There is an off-site cash machine available that's a 10 minute walk away (and the staff is all too eager to direct you to it), but it's limited to £250 per transaction. Due to this we walked away from our experience at the store empty handed and unhappy. The bottom line is that unless you are a Barbour fanatic and are looking to make a pilgrimage, or you're looking for a recently discontinued item, there is little reason to visit this place unless you simply run out of other places to visit. You can get the first run items from legit Barbour retailers in the UK at the same price, (or less if you shop on-line.) For US customers, buying at a UK retailer can save you some money depending on the exchange rate, but keep in mind that a $400 jacket eats into your free customs declaration pretty fast. In addition, bulky wax coated jackets might push your luggage weights over the limits in which case the savings is lost due to baggage surcharges. Also, e-Bay retailers in the states can get you the exact same items for an equivalent value to or slightly better than UK pricing.

I was in the Northumberland Street branch recently, as I was visiting family in the North of…read moreEngland whilst I was back in the UK for a few weeks. I've visited the branch a few times over the years, and the majority of the staff have always been so lovely and incredibly helpful. However, during a recent conversation with a lovely and helpful staff member (we'll call them SM: A), another member of staff (we'll call them SM: B) randomly came briskly - almost marching - over to myself and SM: A, and proceeded to rudely interrupt our conversation, stopping it entirely, and THEN interject that SM: A needed to get back to work, implying therefore that they were not doing their job. Most times I have visited that particular branch over the years, SM: A has been present and I don't think I've ever seen them stop, much less slow down! Some other similar staff members, on the other hand, they seem as though if they slowed down any further they'd surely stop and proceed to go in reverse!

Caters for all ages. Up to date fashions as well as classics. Reasonable value for quality.read more

One of the newer and flagship stores in Monument Mall on Northumberland Street, this branch of TK…read moreMaxx is actually a rather nice store, especially for the TK Maxx chain who in all honesty I've found to have some pretty awful branches in terms of overall look and feel, such as my local branch in the Manchester Arndale. This branch has the typical "Love Newcastle" sign as you walk in, which TK Maxx seem to do for every city I've noticed including Manchester and Liverpool, from past experience. This store is one of the more modern TK Maxx branches I have been in, you enter through the lift and of course pick the floor you want to go in, the view from the shop is actually not bad. TK Maxx in a way is like a jumble sale, but this store feels a little bit classier as it isn't as cluttered and the decor is nicer which is good, some products here were okay and decent value too. There wasn't a high amount of staff around the shop floor but overall this is a nice store, a decent size in a good location in Newcastle city centre, also close to the intu Eldon Square Mall, so I feel this store warrants a three star rating, I'm pleased to report.

This store is so nasty they don't clean or don't pick up stuff when it's lying on the floor they…read moreleave it for cleaners to pick it up and management is so bad they don't listen to any of their staff and the young lad who's always on the tills he is so amazing and is always asking if people are okay and always helps customers out when they ask for help I think his name is Nathan

The newly refurbished store is amazing! Lovely place to shop, lovely staff and a brilliant cafe…read more Great array of stock at all prices. will be back!

I was'nt impressed when I visited Boundry Mills.I found it so big I was bored by the time I got…read moreround half of it. It has in it's favour some lovely homeware and a brilliant cookshop.I was totally unimpressed by the clothing range though,although there was a good range of shoes. The store is supposed to be a discount one but I did'nt think the goods were that much of a bargain.I've often got the same thing cheaper elsewhere. It's got a good sized cafe if you fancy a break and there is a huge car park too. I won't be rushing back to shop here,there's plenty other places much better to go to.