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.

* see Tynwalk Mills website for correct details on location, it is located in St Johns…read more http://www.tynwaldmills.com Tynwald Mills is a mill in name only, once a thriving weaving industry, the mills hit decline and almost disappeared completely. The Mills found new life by redeveloping the site to create a retail centre. The 'anchor store' is Tynwalk Mills department store featuring high end clothing and home goods. Adjacent stores include a gourmet deli, two cafes, a flower shop, a toy store a weekly farmers' market (Thursday) and more. We had lunch at the Neb Cafe, which was very good. The shops are wheelchair accessible and there is plenty of parking. The setting is lovely, they also have a picnic area and playground, something for everyone!

The Superdry store in here is fantastic and suits all ages. Can't forget about 'never never land'…read moretough when I was a child I used to love it there so much because they always had the coolest toys. The furniture store that they have there is really nice and super cool and expensive. Tynwald Mills is overall a fantastic place that has something for every age and I would recommend it to anyone.

Went in today to avoid the rain and an hour later I emerged!!! This really is a stalwart in…read moreBallymena and sells high end Furniture in Ballymena and beyond. There is a paid car park behind and a cafe on the first floor. Staff are amazing and very helpful. Now the furniture that I saw on the ground floor was fantastic. I must make a point to visit the other levels!!

Camerons is part of the history of Ballymena wether youre after a newspaper, fashion, furniture,…read morecds/dvds, toys, video games oh its way to much to mention you will get it here all under one roof. Their instore cafe is one of the best in the area with a wide range of treats at reasonable prices. Multifloors but they do have an escalulater if you are unable to climb stairs. staff can be a little stuck up but this is only a minor problem and wont ruin your shopping experience

Great store although staff are a little bit snobby. They do a great selection of underwear etc. You…read morecan sometimes find nice clothes in Bay Trading and a small selection of Esprit clothing. All in all a very good store.

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.

Another one for all you shoppers out there. Once you've had your fill of shopping in the city…read morecentre (see my reviews on CastleCourt and Victoria Square), there's still a few places left to burn out the credit card. Just a five minute drive from the city centre, Boucher Road has quite a few shops in it, most of which are located in Boucher Crescent Retail Park or Shane Retail Park (see my review on Shane retail park). There are men and women's clothing shops (River Island, Next, Burton, the Jeanery...), a sports shop, HMV, Starbuck's, Boots... the list goes on. There's a hell of a lot of space dedicated to parking here, but it can still be very difficult to get a space on a Saturday or Sunday. It's not a mall type place where you can get lost in, it's one of those places where the shops are all lined up in a row and you come out of one shop and into the next one - good for methodical shoppers, or those who don't have a lot of time. The downside is that the traffic on the Boucher Road can be crazy between 4 and 6p.m. But, if you're a visitor and you're out for a day's shopping, get yourself a 'day ticket' (see my Translink review) and you can take a trip up here before/after shopping in the city centre.

Boucher Road Crescent Retail Park is a handy spot for shopping if you don't fancy going into the…read moreCity Centre. It has a huge variety of shops including River Island, Outfit, Lipsy, Newlook, Next, Boots and much much more. Oh and there's a few car manufacturers nearby if you fancy treating yourself to a new Audi TT

The magpie that I am loves sparkly things, and everything sparkles in here, and today so did the…read moreservice. I was just walking through to the Paperchase part and accidentally, totally deliberately, found myself in front of my favourite perfume. As I took a sneaky sniff a glamorous assistant appeared by magic and suggested that they had special gift sets round the corner if it was something I was interested in. When I explained I wasn't looking for a gift, it was just something I loved, she said she hoped Santa would bring me some and rushed off to a drawer where she produced some samples of it for me to 'keep me going til Christmas'. What a sweetie! Yes, House of Fraser is not cheap, but with lovely service like that (which has happened before) I'll always be back. I'll just wait until the sales.

I generally shop online for H of F. As too be honest the layout of the shop freaks me out…read more Of, I may on occasion, rush to the Tom form aftershave and give myself a blitz. But no one can prove nothing. Don't feel that the store has any soul.

Some shopping centres just have a nice vibe about them and I find this to be the case with…read moreSprucefield. It just feels spacious, clean, bright and pleasant to walk around. Home to some of the big, high-quality, shopping giants including M&S, Next, Mothercare and Pets at Home. However, being an out of town centre, it'll not be easy for everyone to get to, plus it can be EXTREMELY busy, especially at weekends...

Sprucefield shopping centre is a sprawling shopping centre on the outskirts of Belfast. If you are…read moretraveling up to Belfast on the M1 it's a great place to stop and recoup as my parents, sister and I did when we travelled from Dundalk to Belfast last week. The shopping centre has many parking spaces and the centre boasts: Marks & Spencer, JJB, Boots and a rather swish looking McDonald's. The Marks & Spencer is full of lovely things. It has a food hall and a pretty decent sit down restaurant and M&S cafe if you just want something small. The homewares section is vast and is full of lovely things you probably don't need, but look great anyway and there's also a vast clothes section, electrical equipment section, make-up and toiletries and a stationary section. The M&S also has two atms. The Boot's next door is pretty well stocked and carry the trendy Urban Decay and Benefit make-up lines. JJB and Mc'Donalds are also located in the complex. Worth popping into for the Marks & Spencers store.

Rushmere is a great place to go for any type of shopping, it has good service and an amazing and…read moreinteractive design! There are a few claw machines that clearly scam you, but I suppose alot of store have that and it's not really their brand, but I still don't like it. I really enjoy the selection of stores in rushmere and restaurants too! Especially no.7 which I definitely recommend. This is a great place to take your children or younger ones to because it is so interactive for them and has tons of stores they would enjoy! 9/10 definitely recommend.

Rushmere Shopping Centre is superb. It has a vast array of shops including Debenhams, Sainsbury,…read moreEason, Matalan, Dunnes Stores, TK Max, Dorothy Perkins, Game, Holland & Barrett, Homebase, Superdrug and many more. You'll not go hungry either as there are quite a few cafes including Starbucks and Costa. A McDonalds is also onsite and although not a place I choose to visit often, I am partial to a cooling McFlurry after a long day shopping. Be warned though, Rushmere can be hectic and busy, so get there very, very early if you want to avoid the crowds.