The East Midlands Designer Outlet formerly known as McArthur Glen is located next to M1 junction…read more28, near to Sutton-in-Ashfield. It's a reasonably-sized shopping centre, which is partly under cover and geared towards stores which offer predominantly discounted goods (though the shops are somewhat more upmarket than Poundstretcher et al). There is plenty of car parking, but public transport options are slightly limited due to the out-of-town location. Facilities are very good and the overall impression is of a well-run centre that is not overwhelming in terms of size. There is a varied mix of stores, with a bias towards clothes and gift shops. Overall, an excellent place to head for if shopping for a birthday or Christmas, though perhaps not quite large enough for a full-on Saturday shopping session!

Debenhams Browns of Chester is the only Debenhams store to retain its' original branding, Browns of…read moreChester. It has been owned by Debenhams since 1976, yet the store is fairly old being founded in 1780, while it doesn't seem to compare to the older department stores in London, it still is a fairly nice branch, you can enter the store through street-level or through the Grosvenor Shopping Centre. The store is pretty old and you can tell that through shopping inside, they have random sets of steps and ramps all over, so it isn't just one straight/flat level, so do be careful where you're walking to avoid tripping. They had a huge clearance sale on my visit, due to Debenhams' facing difficulties and having to close many of their stores, including this one, I still found many of their prices to be high even after the discount, I found the promotional offers to be inconsistent and it was hard to tell what item costs what as each part of the store/product range would have a different % off. The store did seem a little messy, but it did have some good products overall and it is nice to see they haven't ignored the history, it's a shame to see this store earmarked for closure as although it isn't perfect, it is and remains a nice addition to the town centre. 3*

This is a large department store where you can find really gorgeous bags, shoes, make up and…read moreperfume on the first floor and loads and loads of clothes on the second floor. This place really is fantastic for womens clothes - like debenhams it has all the usual brands such as Jane Norman and Oasis, and it has a great underwear section with huge variety of pretty knickers. It also has a wedding section with loads of higher quality dresses. Of course these come with a higher price tag that the high street stuff that can be found there but this is where I would come to look for something to wear for a special occasion.

Not the largest of shopping centres, but it is the largest indoor shopping area within Shrewsbury…read moretown centre and it does have some good brands including WHSmith, Primark, Marks and Spencer as well as Costa, JD Sports and a few others, most of the larger stores can also be accessed through street entrances on Pride Hill. There was a lack of signage around the malls, such as a plan, I didn't even realise what floor I was on due to mismatched numbering in the lifts, no "mall staff" around made it a little more difficult. While most of the units were taken up, the same can't be said about the other shopping centres in the town so that's a bonus, the mall just had a bare/empty feel and it felt like there was a lot of blank empty space which could be utilised better. Decent shopping space within Shrewsbury, I do prefer the shops in the town centre and elsewhere, as this only consists of 17% of retail units within the town. 3*

Very clean with friendly staff. Has a range of high street stores as well as a couple of less…read morecommon ones. Easy walkign distance to car park, bus station and train station as well as the pridehill shopping centre and the shops on the street. Also has the tree of light in it for Christmas this year (2008) with the nominated names who sponsor the tree placed on the projector.

This is nothing like your average retail park; most are nearly always home to the usual large chain…read morestores and supermarkets. Okay, so Rubery's has a Morrisons, but it doesn't go overboard on the generic stores (and one supermarket is definitely a necessity for Rubery locals anyway.) At the centre of the park you'll find a Premier Inn, and surrounding that, there's a pub, bowling and cinema. So there's loads of great things for visitors to do, without having to spend too much money on travelling into the city centre everyday of their stay in Brum. However, there are quite a few roads that go through the park, and it's a little bit annoying having to cross each one to go to different store. But the park is home to one of two Empire cinemas in Birmingham, so it's definitely worth a visit to see movies on the big screen (other than at Cineworld or the Odeon) The location of the park is really great too; it's really tranquil and open planned with lots of grassland, so customers staying at the hotel don't have to breathe in the smog of the city centre all day long.

I recommen going to Hobbycraft if ur a therian they have felt, paint, masks, feathers, brushes,…read moreeverything you need!

Ventura park although I frequent on occasion is really just a clone of other business parks , it…read morebacks the traffic up completely on a weekend I once got trapped in the Sainsburys car park side for over two hours on a Saturday...with added nandos and pizza express its got a lot of shops to choose from if your an avid spender notice didnt say shopper !

Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet is HUGE! - the UK's largest outlet centre with 145 stores. It is run…read moreby McArthurGlen in the Ellesmere Port area of Cheshire. It's easy to get to via car, being just off the M53, however when using public transport it is much more difficult, there is an irregular bus service which takes around 25-30 minutes from Chester Station. The centre is pedestrianised, clean and with a nice design after getting out of the car park. I do think signage around the centre could be improved, It can be hard if you're looking to visit a specific store/restaurant. There's free parking, but this is common with many out of town shopping parks anyway, but still, always a useful thing to note. There is a good number of places to eat and drink including Caffe Rouge, Carluccio's, Mowgli, Pizza Express, Wagamama, YoSushi Places for coffee include the usual suspects (Costa, Starbucks, Pret etc) Many of the shops do have good deals, obviously, not everything is a great deal, but you can get some low-price clearance goods here Brands with locations here include Adidas, Cadbury's, Clarks, Calvin Klein Haribo, Hugo Boss, Jack and Jones, Lacoste, Nike, Next and M&S, just to name a handful. One of the best places to shop in the area, and one of the better outlet centres in the country, they're missing a huge market though with the public transport connections being so weak. Having a better guide around the centre would also be a big help. 4* PRO TIPS: Most of the centre does have shelter to keep you dry on a rainy day, it's a place much better on a summery day, but no need to panic if you need to shop during bad weather. If visiting with kids, McDonald's is a good shout, they even have an outdoor play area right outside, and they'll even bring the food to you there.

Lovely range of shops. Easy to navigate. Free parking was ace as most malls have crazy parking…read moreprices! Pretty Christmas decs. Good range of cafes and restaurants to choose from. I would definitely go again. Particular shout out to Kate Spade, Birkenstock and Lululemon whos staff were great and helpful. Whittards - the lady seemed inconvenienced by customers!