Although a bit out of the way I rather like this Sainsburys store, it's not as busy as Forestside…read moreor Kennedy Centre and has a better layout. They have a decent sized clothing section with 2 changing cubicles for trying on potential purchases, small toy aisle (so doesn't take too long to drag the kids along) and a reasonable selection of electrical goods. It has the usual butcher, deli & bakery counters. Shelves are generally well stocked and staff are willing to help you find what you are looking for. The off sales section is in the back corner and although not particularly big has a good selection of drinks. There is plenty of parking and an in store cafe. If tills are busy staff are usually quick to open up another especially when you have children in tow!

This Sainsbury's is a great example of the brand. it's a large store located just off Holywood…read moreExchange. For many years I used to work nearby, and this would have been somewhere I called into most days and done the bulk of my weekly shopping here. They have a large car park outside, and a covered trolley bay and cash-point before you walk in. The store is large, well stocked, clean and spacious. I was able to get a lot of items here that were unavailable elsewhere. They do great lunchtime offers and they stock a range of sandwiches and flatbreads from a local Northern Irish company called Deli Lites, which are absolutely delicious, and it's always satisfying to know they are supporting local businesses. They also have a fantastic salad bar where you can make yourself a small, medium or large salad with a fab range of salads, pastas, boiled eggs, etc, or you can choose something hot from their deli counter. Their chicken fillet burgers are really tasty! This Sainsbury's also has an on-site cafe which I've eaten in a few times, and it's always been good!

Good sized Spar shop selling fresh fruit, veg, bread, groceries, confectionery, frozen food, tined…read morefood, newspapers, magazines and stationary. Offers some great bargains e.g. own brand instant coffee granules for £1.85 and packs of chocolates or biscuits for £1.00. Also sells an impressive range of dairy free milks including soy, almond and coconut, unfortunately yogurts and cheeses are all standard dairy. As is becoming the norm in most shops nowadays, there's a large in-store, self-service coffee counter and a Subway sandwich counter too. There are a couple of tables to sit-in at, but as this is also a petrol station most people stop to fill up their cars and just pickup stuff to takeaway.

I think the Spar is a great shop, if it on the High Street, attached to a Filling Station or as it…read morestarted a simple corner shop you are bound to get great service and convenience. Most Spars will have either an ATM in close proximity or a mobile ATM in store which will probably charge. But don't fear cards are accepted. The Holywood road Spar is no exeption. The other great thing about the Spar is that it always seems to strive to stock as much Northern Irish produce as possible. Tayto crisps, Mash Direct, champ and potato bread can all be found at the Spar. Although having said that this Spar did not have any potatoes when I last went in and it does not get more Northern Irish than that. Having said that it was a Sunday and that's peak potato time. I will let them off, just about.

This is one of those establishments that totally infuriates me, whoever decided to build a…read moresupermarket in a filling station should be taken out and quietly shot. As such coming here for fuel is fraught with frustration as you sit waiting for a free pump whilst the person who used it before you is wandering about doing a weeks shopping. In the event you get pulled up at a pump and filled up, you can wander into the shop which has a built in Subway which nobody ever appears to use, and a better choice of stuff than most small supermarkets, which means you turn into the sort of person you despised while you waited at the pump,, walking around getting a few things for dinner. The staff are usually young chaps and chapesses, with the odd older memeber of staff, and they work hard, although I once had a young chap try charging me for £65 of diesel when I had actually put a tenner of petrol in my bike. Fortunately someone pointed out his error before he got strangled and I got lifted by the PSNI for ABH. A special mention goes to the new car wash, which at night resembles driving into a disco, it gets your car clean most of the time, but my ancient banger is a bit too faded so no fault of the Spar. But please please PLEASE get rid of that bloody fake SPAR FM Muzak you play, it makes me want to eat my own eyeballs!

As far as local convenience stores go this is a really good one in most respects, with only one…read moremain flaw which I will say before going on to praise the place! The forecourt is too small and parking is hard and quite frankly frustrating at times. The shop has grown and expanded over the years but the forecourt hasn't which makes it gridlock at times! Onto the shop though, and it is great. There is a surprisingly large of items in all the different areas: it is more like a mini supermarket than a convenience store. There are great selections of fruit and veg and baked goods, and there is a delicious deli counter, with a delicious old lady called Eleanor who works behind it ! ;D The staff here are really bubbly and friendly, which can't be said of a lot of shops of this nature. The prices are surprisingly competitive compared to other stores like spar etc, only the Big 3 stores can really defeat it! Oh I forgot another criticism. The name. It is a joke. That is all!

Petrol is more expensive but you have to pay for convenience when your driving and the red lights…read morelit up like a Christmas tree for fuel. Expensive but good service, ideal spot to stop and check your tyres for damage as the surface of the moon would be smoother than the roads around ballygowan. There's a coffee shop/cafe above and hot food counter downstairs. There's a much better selection of groceries in ballygowan thanks to the garage, before it was there all you could get was spuds. For anything remotely different you had to drive to comber or ards. Now there's any amount of choices.

Delighted to find the new Denny Meat Free range in Newton Park Mace; sausages, mince and burgers,…read moreall carrying the vegan society trademark (all delicious). Also fantastic vegan biscuits from Farmhouse Biscuits brand. Other great vegan products are Applewood smoked cheese, nan breads, mayonnaise and plant milks. I've not seen some of these particular vegan brands in other shops - it's good to to be able to buy something different. Plus there's a decent selection of fresh fruit/veg, lentils/beans, herbs/spices and gourmet worldwide foods. The in-store Post Office is handy as well and there's a coffee counter, newspapers, plants, and lots more - a place where it's possible to do a full weekly shop and get absolutely everything you need. I'm impressed and will be shopping here regularly as long as the vegan items remain...

Sells a wide rane of goods from newspapers, baked goods, drinks, chilled and frozen food. I prefer…read moretesco metro myself but is handy if you are all ready down at the shops here.

I'm quite keen on the Centra chain generally and particularly like this one as it somehow seems a…read morelittle bit more umarket than others. It's a good size and also includes a Post Office so you can grab a few last minute groceries once you have done your Post Office stuff. All boxes ticked. You wouln't do your weekly shop in this store, but the that's not the aim of Centras. What you will get is freshly baked bread, pastries and croissants, fruit and vegetables (although nothing too exotic as I know from the time I stupidly tried to get passion fruit here - I really need to manage my expectations). You can also pick up nice coleslaws, dips, cooked meats and basic groceries. Prices are higher than Asda or Tesco but then you're paying for speed and convenience. There are also frequent 'two for one' type offers too. At the back is a hot food bar where you can get very nice panninis, stew and chips in super quick time. There is some frozen food too and a good range of papers and magazines. All in all this is a good one stop shop when you're in a hurry and need to tick off a few jobs in one place.

Love all Centras - especially the deli and hot food counter. I have in fact just polished off a…read moresmall salad made up myself with the generous carton and a selection of curried coleslaw, cherry tomatoes, two types of rice, cheese, potato salad and lettuce for £2.00. There was plenty of it and I got to pick exactly what went in - I even sampled the pasta as I wasn't sure about the sauce, I don't know if you are allowed to do that but sure, you won't tell anyone! I like this Centra as it is more spacious than some of the other branches, the shop is bigger and the queues are smaller. I also love the fact that the post office is just off to the side of it as it saves on two trips - the lovely girl there today helped me send my wedding invites and arrange postage etc for me as I having a mild panic attack! This is a good Centra providing all the basics we come to expect with centra such as great sandwiches and hot food as well as a massive selection. I Heart Centra.

They have a good range of stock on offer and it is super handy for me. They have parking directly…read moreoutside, and a cash machine inside. They also take payment by card. They do good deals on items such as soft drinks and crisps. The store is well laid out, bright, clean and tidy and the staff are pleasant. Very happy to recommend to anyone, and it's always great to support small local businesses!

Great wee convenience store if you need to grab some biccies, sweets or other goodies. There is…read morefresh milk and a small selection of bread products available every day as well as a small aisle of tinned items etc. Prices are very reasonable especially for a convenience store, plenty of parking available and a cash machine in store. There is a butchers a couple of doors down, chippy next door, and a chinese, so handy if you need to go to one of those also.

This shop is right at the top of my road, but there is another small supermarket on the way there…read morefor me so I only call in here if the other store doesn't have what I need or I happen to be driving past this Spar. That is not to say that the selection and service in here is in anyway not top drawer. Well, top drawer is maybe a bit of a stretch. The store is always clean and tidy, the staff are always friendly and helpful and you can usually find everything you need in here if you are popping in for a pint or milk or a loaf of bread. There is good parking here and an ATM which is always handy. It is also in a good location, with excellent access to the Belfast and Newtownards roads. There is certainly no real reason not to call in here. You won't be able to do a full weeks shop in here, you will need to go to Tesco or whatever for that but you certainly will be able to get plenty of what you need in this wee shop.