Bolton Market Place is the main shopping centre in Bolton town centre, it isn't too bad for a small…read moretown and they have spent time/money on improving the centre and making it nice. Retailers located here include Boots, Clarks, JD Sports, Next and Vision Express. There is a much larger selection of shops on the high street, outside of the shopping centre, but I always prefer indoor centres especially on the cold, rainy days which we get more of our fair share of in England! My favourite area of the shopping centre is "The Vaults", which is the basement of the shopping centre. They've made it look very nice, with the exposed brickwork and it is also home to restaurants including Nando's and Prezzo. There is also a cinema within the mall from, Light Cinema. More recently, the mall is being used by the Bolton GP Federation and the NHS to provide COVID-19 vaccinations, I love this idea as it is helping the local community have easy access to vaccinations in the town centre. Many empty units sadly... it is such a shame to see as this mall really does have potential. Despite being rather empty, it still has a nice feel to it and the mall security to feel safe. 3*

A few months on and more improvement, they deserve another star!…read more Things are looking up for the market place and they are slowly transforming it into a place you'd want to spend your time. Football season is over for me which means Saturday's are now free again - the missus loves that - that also means I am open to be dragged around shopping centres each weekend now.. It was FA Cup final day however and luckily she does like Football so we decided instead of a trip to Manchester, we'd venture into Bolton and see what the developments were looking like. Definitely an improvement on my last visit a few month ago, and we spent just under 2 hours here on Saturday, which 5 years ago you just simply couldn't do! The 'Vaults' are open and starting to have more and more going on there, so far: Prezzo, Nandos and Great Ale are in there but Chef's Quarter and couple more offerings are in the works. The best thing about this visit was seeing the weekend markets! The market place has not had individual market stall since I was a wee kipper - so a good 15 years and it's great see them bringing back the old school approach even with the new modern building!

Middlebrook is actually pretty good for a retail/leisure park. It has all of the regular big shops…read moreyou'd imagine, selling sofas, carpets etc, as well as some good clothing stores and general shops, plus a large VUE cinema and several restaurants of both the fast-food and dine-in variety. There's also a bowling alley and arcade. It's also great that the plentiful parking is all free, unlike Bolton town centre, and is secured by the (slightly controversial) UKPC. If parking doesn't matter to you, it's easily accessible on foot, and bus services run through it via several bus stops, and the stop at Horwich Parkway Rail Station. It can get congested around match days and the such, as there's only really two ways in and out, and both clog up quite quickly. They also have occasional promo events and activities, such as radio stations broadcasting from there, free kids face painting and character events, petting zoos etc.

middlebrook is a superb retail park with big names such as boots, m&s, a huge asda, vue cinema, the…read morelist goes on. there is loads of free parking but becareful if bolton wanderers are at home on a staurday, it gets so busy. the location isn't ideal for everyone, as it is based in horwich which is close to wigan, sop it can be out of the way for some.

Regent Retail Park is a decent no thrills retail park, the retailers here are mainly focused on…read moreessentials, a large Sainsbury's superstore for essentials, and a JD Sports for sportswear, which also includes a gym. Other outlets here include Costa for a coffee, Boots for a chemist/pharmacy, a couple of discount stores, pound shops and a pet store. It is classed as part of Salford, but it is a short walk from the western edge of Manchester city centre, just head straight down Liverpool Road from the Hilton at Beetham Tower. It's fairly easy to follow and find the stores you need here, but for a smaller retail park, this has to be expected. There isn't anything in terms of food options outside the supermarket, but KFC and McDonald's are across the way. It is easy to access as a pedestrian, and for cars, there is a large car park centred around Sainsbury's. 3*

Not exactly a lot I can write about a retail park. It is what it is, a place of convinience with…read morestores you can use for essentials. Although I still avoid one of the stores like the plague, choosing to travel 4 miles to my nearest equivalent, I do use nearly all the other stores several times a week. With Sainsbury's, Boots, Argos, Home Bargains, Sports Direct you pretty much have everything you will ever need in these stores, not to mention the others. So its a good location and a decent selection of stores. My only downside is the layout, featuring two four way roundabouts in quick succession, it can become rather chaotic at times, especially with idiots and the speeds they drive. But all in all its a good place.

The West One is a nice retail park in the Salford/Eccles area, I'm going to share the embarrassing…read moremoment that I actually came here by mistake, through making a left turn which I should have made 150 yards or so later according to my sat nav, I was quite impressed at the retail park as it was quite nice, even having a WHsmith to its-name, which seem to be in every shopping mall, every station, every airport, every town centre but still they seem to shy away from retail parks from some bizarre reasoning. It is located just off Junction 2 of the M602 motorway and is quite close to Trafford Park and Old Trafford and even the Lowry Outlet mall, all around one or two miles away. There are a few big names here such as Home Bargains, WHSMITH, Subway and The Carphone Warehouse, still the retail park is only small compared to others, it still is quite decent, quite satisfactory however nothing more than that, I'm sorry to report. It is also a shame this retail park doesn't seem to be making a name for its-self to make it more of a place to visit, through not having a website, there are numerous fast food chains here, as I recall there is both a Subway and a Mcdonald's, two of the largest fast food chains in the world which seem to always not be far from each other, where you can often find them in the same complex. There is also quite a large "Range" store here but that's about it really. The location of this retail park is interesting, with so much around it so it probably isn't the best place to go and shop but still it is quite nice and I do feel it has done enough to earn at least a high two star rating.

West one is the retail park in Salford. On this retail park there are some fest food restaurants…read moresuch as McDonald's subway. There is plenty of parking. There are still a few units empty.

Robin Retail Park is a nice complex, it has improved a lot since my last visit and now features…read moremany more stores. Brands located here include JD Sports, Sports Direct, Marks and Spencer Simply Food, Boots, Argos, EE and Next. The location is easily accessed, with a large car park, with buses serving the area nearby. It is also a stone's throw away from the DW Stadium, home to Wigan Athletic FC and Wigan Warriors. A large ASDA supermarket is also nearby. The retail park doesn't have much of an online presence, I couldn't find a list of stores and restaurants located here anywhere, which was pretty frustrating. In terms of eating and drinking, the selection is good for fast food with Subway, Greggs, KFC and Burger King have outlets here, the latter two being drive-thrus. The only coffee shop would be Costa (inside Next), in terms of more of a restaurant, there is a Nando's in the process of being constructed (September 2021), but it isn't much else. 3* - A-OK, there is a good selection of stores here.

I often use the shops at Robin Retail Park in Wigan. I have just received a Parking Charge Notice…read moreas I have been informed that I over stayed the parking time by 13 minutes. I find this absolutely ridiculous as there is just not enough time to use the shops in a relaxed way. I intend to boycott the retail park and protest. I think that the media needs to be informed of this situation. I can certainly understand if people leave their cars parked on the car park for hours and hours. I am most unhappy about this situation. Thank you. Kind regards Gary K Tame

The Rock, Bury or 'New Bury' as some call the Rock, is a large 300 million development…read more Pedestrianized with £70k flats towering above shops a plenty such as Debs, M&S, Next, Costa, Subway; Vue Cinema, AMF bowling, Nandos etc. Free car parking after 6 pm (multi-story). St. Johns Gardens are a nice place to sit if it is warm. And there is a right good 99p shop there too. Love the place. Tai food opposite the gardens. Heaps of bike racks used as extra ram-raid stoppers near the clubs.

Wow shopping madness wasn't this busy over Christmas. Maybe people shopping last minute for…read morenew years eve. Great vibe everyone in high spirits.

Walkden Town Centre (formerly known as The Ellesmere Centre, but many places still use the outdated…read morename, probably down to habits) is the main shopping centre serving Walkden town centre, while it isn't the largest of shopping centres, it does have the largest Tesco Extra store in the UK, this does take up the big bulk of the shopping centre, at least the indoor part anyway. I think the name change was to add the outdoor part of the shopping centre too. There is a lot of car parking, the indoor area is unusual in the sense that instead of escalators, they use travellators, I much prefer these as they are more accessible for all, and look better too. Public transport links to the centre are OK, I do find it annoying that the 36 and 37 buses which are both on the Manchester to Bolton route, which calls here, actually call at different stands at different ends of the shopping centre, I do think having a small bus station would be easier, as it means having to go to one specific bus stop, rather than being able to wait at the same stop for multiple services. Stores located here include Marks and Spencer, Aldi, Poundland, Pets at Home and Boots, there is also a small number of banks and a Post Office. Food retailers located here include Subway, Nando's and Domino's. 3* - Not too bad, it is nice for a small town like Walkden, the lower floor on the inside part of the mall does seem to be pretty empty as many retailers have moved to the outside retail park area or the main road.

The Ellesmere Centre is starting to improve. The whole place has been refurbished and new parts…read morehave been built to attract that lacking custom and shopping vibe in Walkden. Tesco was completely rebuilt and revamped - though it does feel very clinical and a bit like the Hive out of resident evil at night... It's already attracted new custom - Costa Coffee - which is great! They seem to be doing fairly well too. There are always people inside and hopefully this will inspire more custom from other businesses too. The banks have moved and now have very shiny new spaces; HSBC, Lloyds, Halifax, Santander. The market hall is also revamped with a bigger and better area. There's a good selection of stalls from handbags, to a card shop, to a clothes shop, to a fancy dress shop, to a Polish food stall, to a pet items stall AND best of all.... the old school sweet shop! However, it does cost 10p or 20p to go to the toilet but they are well looked after! A list of other shops/facilities around the centre; JD Opticians Electricians Shoe maker St.Anns Hospice Greggs Computer shop Quality Save Nails Hairdressers Carpet shop Boots Phone shop Key Cutters Subway Tanning shop Dominoes Betting Shop Scents/Candles School clothes Aldi - opening this week! With hopefully more to come!

Bury Market. World famous, apparently. I'm somewhat doubtful about the world famous claims, though…read moreit is an excellent market. Whatever you might need, for household items, or food shopping its all here, and all at great prices. The various meat, cheese and bakery stalls are amazing. The quality of the food is always top notch, everything is so fresh as its coming straight to the market from the manufacturer or supplier. My main problem is that I always end up going home with a pile of chocolate and cakes because the prices seem too good to be true!! Then theres Black puddings! This is the home of the Black pudding and if you like them, theres nothing better than a freshly cooked one eaten outdoors with lashings of tomato ketchup. Theres a couple of stalls in the outdoor market selling them. The layout of the market is somewhat haphazard, but for a very occasional visitor like myself, its nice to just wonder around taking it all in. I'm sure there are parts I've missed though. The location of the market is very convenient for public transportation, being right next to Bury Interchange which houses a bus station and a Metrolink tram station.

My local market- happens to be pretty famous too! Came here on a Friday to show my American friend…read moreCaitlin around- it was really sunny and the perfect day to stroll around. There's an indoor market with a huge selection of meat and fish, as well as other various stalls selling bits and bobs like clothes, handbags, homeware etc. There's also an outdoor part with stalls selling fruit and veg, lancashire cheeses, jams and spreads, sausages...you name it. Great to have a wander and try all the samples being handed out...before you know eat you feel like you've eaten a meal! You can also buy flowers, control knickers, bras...clothes...none of it fashionable, mainly for the OAPs. Bury is famous as the home of black pudding, I'm not a huge fan of it myself but you can come and buy it from a couple of stalls here. I've been to markets all over the world, this isn't an 'artisan' market, a lot of it is bargain tat, but I like coming here to buy meat/fish and things to cook with. Makes a change from going to Tesco and I like the atmosphere.

Crompton Place is one of the smaller shopping centers in Bolton, it is considerably brighter and…read moresmaller than the other major shopping center - Market Place. They isn't really a lot here, it is still a nicer building and place than Market Place, which is quite disorganized, a little darker and more of a construction site at the moment. This place isn't really worth a look in, with a lack of major brands, especially compared to shops on the outside streets and in Market Place. They is a small, independent newsagents with Adam's News, Primark, Clarks, Specsavers, a few poundshops, The works and a Subway but that is about it. If you're in Bolton and looking for some time to kill, or need to visit one of these shops, it is definitely worth a look in, but otherwise I probably wouldn't suggest bothering and can't warrant a reason to give anything over 2 stars.

Crompton Place Shopping Centre is a quiet shopping centre in the centre of Bolton. This isn't…read moreanything like the Bullring or the Arndale or the Trafford Centre. Certainly not. It's more about just being quiet with a few independent shops as well as some more mainstream ones like Primark and New Look. But it's ok here though, somewhere to shop where it's warm and dry and no way near as stressful as the Arndale.