This newsagents sells a fairly decent variety of magazines as compared with most that only have a…read morefew choices. I wouldn't say they are exactly intellectual choices--let's face it, the kind of magazines you will find here are for people who sit in on Saturdays and eat crisps in front of the TV. But still ... You'll also find all the usual newspapers, cold drinks, sweets, chocolate, crisps, and more. There's not that much in the way of grocery items here. Staff seemed pretty nice when I went in.

Before its demise, Brow's Lane newsagents was the place to go for all your confectionary and…read moreperiodical needs but now that it's gone there is only one newsagents left in the village, the cunningly named Village News. Being that they are the only proper newsagents in the village and they have a good selection of sweets and canned goods, there's not much wrong with the Village News. Their collections of magazines is especially impressive, with a range so extensive it nearly puts WH Smiths to shame. One thing that is a bit annoying though is that all the sweets are just in front of the desk where you pay for everything, so choosing which sweets you want becomes somewhat of a palaver. There's nothing worse than having someone watch as you umm and ah over whether you should buy a Boost even though it's 57p or just play it safe and go with the tried and trusted Mars Bar at 40p. Aside from that though, this newsagents ticks all the boxes. They also have a container sat outside with different sized balls in, come rain or shine, which can be especially handy on nice days when the kids are outside. Not so much when it's pissing it down though.

Since the closing of the once mighty Brows Lane News (where once I scratched a living as a…read morepaperboy, eating wildlife bars and delivering copies of the Daily Express to the wrong houses) this is the only independent newspaper and magazine retailer in Formby Village. It's important to support the shop for that reason alone - although you can buy newspapers and magazines at Waitrose, Marks and Spencer and even Caffe Nero it's important to keep these places going. After all where else in the local area are you going to be able to get hold of a copy of Angling World or Tattoos Today? Nowhere, that's where. They do sell beach goods - inflatable balls, buckets and spades, that sort of thing - which are always indispensible should you find yourself heading down to Formby beach with youngsters in tow. They are also the only place for miles around that does loose Lions Sports Mixtures and Midget Gems which are like my very own version of crack cocaine.

Liver news, like most newsagents, is one of those little black holes that sells newspapers and…read moremagazines, cold drinks and sandwiches, general groceries, and a few odds and ends like packs of tissues and batteries. I like to highlight the independent ones because I feel like they are doing a great thing, trying to battle down the chain stores and do their thing to improve the economy. If you need to get something from a newsagent, why not use the independent ones? They deserve your service for taking the risk and standing alone. This one is conveniently located a few streets away from Central Station.

This little newsagents is not too far from the station, and thus convenient for your travelling…read moresnack and drink needs. I always need a cold drink when I'm out and about walking, especially in the summer, so I love that there are so many newsagents, even seemingly in the middle of nowhere. They are fairly limited in their reading material, but still, they provide the basics. I also noticed that this particular newsagents sold some charity shop items in the front window. Not something you see every day.

The rise in express supermarket branches opening around the country, as well as supermarkets now…read moreselling a wide range of magazines and newspapers, has resulted in a decrease in popularity for local newsagents for whom sweets, drinks and magazines are all their business, as opposed to just one strand of their overall business. As a result, there are fewer newsagents around these days, and those that are still going are generally rather underwhelming. However, every so often you come across a newsagent much like K & C Douglas in Crosby. This reasonably sized newsagent offers a very good selection of sweets and drinks (we're talking a wide range of confectionery here, not just a few Snickers and Chomps) all at prices that are no worse than elsewhere (sweets aren't cheap anywhere these days). K & C Douglas also offers a very good selection of magazines in their shop, providing the usual glossies for the ladies as well as more specialist publications for those of you with more unusual hobbies and interests (Angling Weekly? Powerslam Wresting Magazine? Come on down).

An interesting concept WHSmith store, The WHSmith Local brand is from WHSmith's Wholesale…read moredepartment and is described as " ideal for independent CTN/Newsagents & Post offices", so the store is different to your regular WHSmith store. Located in Canning Gate Shopping Centre, within Leigh town centre, it is opposite Ryman and close to the Bus Station. Cannings and WHSmith Local is the full name of this location. The store was small, but they had a decent selection of most items you'd expect to find from WHSmith, including a lottery desk at the back, meaning there were two separate tills to help ease queuing, they had a small selection of drinks too but sadly they didn't stock Lipton Ice Tea. 3* - This store is OK, one of the better newsagents within the town centre (especially if you don't fancy going into a supermarket), and a unique concept.

This newsagents is okay but it seems almost out of place as one of only a few shops that are…read moreactually open on this strip of road. Strange for such an affluent area ... The wares are fairly standard, so you can expect to get just about anything here that you would want from a newsagents.

Aleef Newsagents is a mini newsagents in St. John's Precinct. It is usually a place where you would…read morego in a rush whether you wish to buy some sweets, newspaper or some tobacco. For a newsagents of this size, it does well to stock all the essentials you would expect a typical newsagents to have. In addition, they have a variety of Liverpool postcards and few items of memorabilia such as sketches of familiar faces all at reasonable prices. This is by far the tiniest newsagents I have been to but Aleef News is a smart and well presented shop where there is efficient service and hardly any queues. The only thing I would say, is that they don't have a lottery machine!