This place used to be known as the Sainsburys Centre until Sainsburys buggered off and left the…read moreplace to be renamed the Red Rose Centre. That was okay because at least the library was still there. Then the library 'temporarily' closed in 2009 and its bookshelves have been gathering dust ever since. With the only proper supermarket in the town centre long gone and the prospect of the library ever re-opening growing smaller everyday all that's left to prop up this now tired old thoroughfare is the admittedly very good Wilkinsons, a new Greggs and hairdressers, a charity shop and a couple of other outlets which change from time to time. The presence of the multi-storey car park is a bonus and there are some great views from the top floor. However, if you try and take advantage of them, you'll find yourself shooed away by wardens who presume you want to jump or hotwire someone's car. For ages the Red Rose Centre (for some reason that cries out to be said in a Geordie accent) had its own security guard too, although he did very little other than chat with the people dressed as penguins collecting for charity and walk up and down.

Should you not know central Sutton Coldfield particularly well, then from time to time the large…read morelogo displaying the name of this centre may have caught your eye and had you wondering what's there. The truth is, not an awful lot. The name - with that rather grand-sounding 'centre' - really just denotes a shared area overseen by a single stakeholder which exists independently of stores nearby. This is not the equivalent of The Mall on the other side of Lower Parade, rather a small collection of stores paying rent to the same body, nominally brought together thanks to a roof. Tenants include a newsagent/tobacconist, a large charity shop (British Heart Foundation), a barber, an independent craft shop, a large branch of Wilkinsons and a budget-priced frozen food vendor. Here you'll also find what may quite possibly be the world's largest branch of Greggs. The centre, in addition, is home to Sutton Coldfield's main library - Greggs has plenty of seating so there is no need to hide a sausage roll behind The Da Vinci Code. After a dingy corridor, the library also marks the point at which you'll see daylight again. It's this that may recommend the centre, the outdoors seating here making for a spacious respite from crowds. Sutton can suddenly spike in footfall without warning thanks to surrounding schools and colleges. If you felt less kind, though, you'd say the centre's real purpose was providing largely-covered access to a multi-storey car park, plus cover from the rain if the bus shelters were busy.

The signs cool, THEMALL.co.uk. Big letter, cant miss it, looks a bit like a circus tent at the…read morefront. Inside is empty (By empty i mean its ruled by the same old chain stores) and dark though, i saw a child weeping in the corner. She was sad because even at a young age she knew creativity was dead and consumerism rules. How is it possible i walked the length and with of this place looking for something to talk about but found nothing? Its because i've seen it all before, you've seen it before. Same shop fronts same adverts same lighting, same flooring. Shockingly boring and cookie cutter.

An utterly soulless place, with barely a single redeeming feature. And to cap it all, it's called…read moreThe Mall, a naff American word that slaps the life out of any hope of originality. Sutton town centre full stop is similarly soulless. Considering the surrounding areas, you see quite a few chavs and dipsticks around. It certainly doesn't scream or whisper prosperity, it wails mournfully "Abandon hope all ye who enter".

I have been shopping here for many years, and it has changed a lot. It has many of the big names…read moresuch as Boots, Beatties, M&S, Argos, Woolworths, WHSmith etc, and there are places to eat and drink like McDonalds, Costa coffee and Subway. The main parade area is pedestrianised, and they often have a farmers market and arts & crafts stalls on the main shopping street. At Christmas there is an impressive Santa`s grotto! New additions to Sutton are Aldi & Poundland. At the top of the parade is the historic old Town School building, which is now home to Sutton Baptist church, where on some days you can pop in and get a coffee and baked potatoe!

The Gracechurch Centre or, to give it it's ungrammatical and Americanised modern name: Mall…read moreGracechurch (I know, horrible innit?) is generally unloved among the locals. Built in 1974 by basically wiping out the middle of Sutton and starting again, the Gracechurch has been modified several times but still has the same basic shape. Beneath a sizeable multi-storey car-park, the shopping area is mostly covered and is clean and plenty spacious. A lot of shops come and go but the long-serving stalwarts are House of Fraser (formerly Beatties), WHSmiths, Marks & Spencers and Boots. The other shops are mostly filled with (women's) clothes. Locals often moan that the Gracechurch is full of rubbish shops and not enough local, independent traders. Ironically, whenever a local trader does try their luck, they soon shut down due to lack of custom. Compared to somewhere modern like Touchwood, the Gracechurch isn't great; compared to somewhere like the Saddlers Centre in Walsall, it's great. You can pretty much find everything you need up there or very nearby on the Parade. Back in the day the spaces in the Gracechurch were filled with oversize chess pieces, now there's a more helpful Information Kiosk, lots of benches and a jacket potato stand which has been there for as long as I can remember (and probably longer) and so can't be too bad.

The corner of Coles Lane has something of a tradition of being an 'outdoor' (old-school Brummie…read moretalk for an offie). For years it was a Victoria Wine, then a Threshers before becoming 'The Local' - a disastrous attempt at selling wine, spirits and baked beans in the same small space. After sitting dormant for a while, it's current owner took it on and put it straight. Going under the imaginative banner 'Shop', it's exactly what a corner shop should be and a great example of a community shop. It sells your usual newsagent fare: Chocolate bars, newspapers, milk. I believe it even has a coffee machine in there. I'm afraid I don't know the name of the guy who runs it, but he's a very amiable proprietor who never seems to have a day off and will always say hello or wave to you even if you're walking on the other side of the street. I don't live round there anymore, but whenever I drop by for a paper or a drink if I'm in the area, there always seems to be one of my old neighbours stood in there by the till having a chat and passing the time of day. It's that kind of place, and that kind of place is very hard to find these days.

I found New Arrivals excellent for many reasons…read more The lay out of the shop for one, lots of space to move around , good size changing rooms. The clothes they stock are great for the mature women who wants to dress smart with out paying a fortunre . Great labels Frank Lyman for one The staff are superb friendly helpful and honest no pushy sales ladies here. I spent a relaxing few hours picking up a number of outfits work included Ann the owner knows what her clients like and I class myself as one. Now I know where to go next time Marie

I have visited this shop many times and the service and personal attention given is fantastic…read more The owners really care about you and are very honest with helping you select the right clothes for any occasion. Keep up the good work.

House of Fraser is the ultimate in shopping for anyone who wants to feel they're spending just a…read morebit more than they ought, for the that feeling of decadence and slight wrecklessness. The HoF in the Gracechurch Shopping Centre in Sutton Coldfield is slightly smaller than most, which I really enoyed. Instead of that overwhelming department store feel, the smaller size offered a more relaxed browsing feel, and more easily-located concessions within the store. There is a brow bar and a manicure/pedicure station, offering some of the nicest of each of those services in Sutton. There is also a small cafe offering some nice cakes and sandwiches and hot drinks. The Bay shop in here as well as the Oasis are both rather nice, with great fitting rooms and some very helpful ladies. The jewelry section is small, but offers some very nice, interesting pieces I've not seen in another HoF. I ended up buying some pieces for my honeymoon which I've gotten a lot of compliments on. No matter the time of day, this HoF is never crushed with people, so again, the shopping experience is much more relaxed and less manic than normal.

The former Beatties department store has managed to retain its character and friendliness despite…read morebecoming part of the HoF group. Spaced over three floors, the store offers a compact range of fashion, beauty and homewear. The main reason for my visit once a fortnight is to take advantage of the Benito Brow Bar, which offers a superb service every time.

Challenging Save The Children's long dominance of the top-end-of-Sutton charity shop circuit comes…read morethe Salvation Army charity shop. The cheeky buggers even moved in next door! This shop has been open for a couple of years now and makes it gentle presence felt with an inviting little shop packed with clothes, vintage accessories, a good stack of books and a very good selection of CDs; I've picked up albums by Portishead, Nirvana, The Prodigy and The Specials from here. Opening a charity shop in Sutton isn't a guarantee of success, although that said I've never known any that have shut down. However, the town is awash with the places, both in the centre and out in parts such as Boldmere and Mere Green. Great for bargain hunters and maniacal vinyl obsessives like myself; bad news for the snobs who write in to the local papers bemoaning the cheapening of the royal town.

H & M is a clothing store for the younger generation, the clothes are very reasonably priced and I…read morehave always found there work wear to be of reasonable quality at a good price and on trend. There are some classic pieces and some more úber trendy items, but its always good to have a mooch & maybe try something out of your comfort zone. There is a childrens section and a menswear section downstiars, and a ladies wear section upstairs which includes accessories.

A great store to find just about anythingfrom food, toiletries, pet supplies, paint & wallpaper,…read moreFurniture, books, picture frames, cards, garden supplies etc etc. This is located in the old Sainsbury`s site and is convenient for the multi-story car park right next to it. Prices are always very cheap, for example I recently bought a Japanese maple red leafed tree for under £4, the same plant in garden centers would have cost me anywhere between £10 - £20. Nice sweet section too, though I was gutted when they stopped stocking sour water melons!

this is a large wilkinsons, situated next to a multi story car park, it stocks everything from…read moresweets, to clothes to tools to decorating equipment. it always has a baragin aisle,but even the full price stuff is cheaper than u would find anywhere else. ive managed to pick up loads of christmas pressies in half price sales etc.