On way to Ikea few years ago discovered this rather large hidden gem... An old school gardening…read morecentre that's a one stop shop for quite a few things. Well worth a gander!

The Arcades is a small shopping centre in the town centre of Ashton-under-Lyne, nothing too…read moreexciting or impressive, especially in the town which houses the only IKEA in Greater Manchester. It has some good brands including Superdrug, WHSmith, JD Sports and most of the UK's main mobile phone providers, but that is pretty much it. Many of the stores themselves are small, or just empty units. There are a few independent cafes here, most of them I had bad experiences with, so in terms of food and drink, there are few reliable options other than Costa. It could be slightly cleaner... it's useful for local residents who don't want to travel for basic stores but I just wasn't a fan. 2*

This shopping centre is one of the main areas of Ashton…read more Inside it has many shops such as New Look, HMV, Next, Game, Bodyshop and many more. Some are chain stores like the ones named above but others are independent businesses like DIVA who sell shoes. It's OK though, nothing to get all excited about such as Manchester but it is useful to have. The centre is well looked after but it just lacks something. I can't put my finger on it but the shops are small therefore lacking a lot of stock. The centre could be a bit bigger really but it is well looked after and provides lots of jobs. Overall though it is a convenience to have for local residents who do not want to travel all the way into Manchester for basic needs.

Elk Mill Centre Retail Park is located in Royton, Oldham and is easily accessible on a slip road…read morethrough the M60 . This isn't the place you would go to shop, it does have a few shops like Currys PC World and ASDA Living but for big names, they isn't loads, This is in a nice location however and does have some good places to eat, even though most of them are fast food, places include Mcdonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC as well as Frankie and Bennies and Nando's. The retail park also does have a garage inside of it, but I would recommended just getting your petrol from Tesco, due to their Petrol Price promise for clubcard holders where they knock off 20p at most a litre depending on how much you have spent in store. The retail park, unlike Manchester Fort for example does not have a website stating their current stores, news and whats going on, vacancies etc, what for a professional retail park with so many places, should be a must. This retail park does have shops, a few large ones like a Currys PC World and an Argos but to be honest it is somewhere you would come to eat, rather than shop so I can only give 2 stars.

Having grown up just around the corner from ELK MILL retail park I have seen it grow and change and…read morebecome a Oldham town staple and necessity. It's perfect for those looking to make a quick errand or go on a mini shopping spree with a mix of stores ranging from next to Asda George, Boots to Maplin, DW Sports Gym to Smyths toy store and many more! They also have your standard chain restaurants and fast food vendors. There really is EVERYTHING you could ever want and need somewhere in this retail park. I haven't been for a few months and found today that they have re-done the car park making it easier to get around and actually find a spot - it's a huge improvement! I won't lie, it can get busy especially around Christmas/Boxing Day and of course whenever there's a next sale on but I don't think I've ever been unable to get a car parking spot! Honestly I don't know what I'd do without this place and I actually have some very happy childhood memories from here... Yes I was really cool when I was a kid and hung around on a retail park - who didn't ;)

The Droylsden is a kind of bland shopping centre in, you guessed it, Droylsden. There's plenty of…read moreparking, and a few useful shops like Wilkinsons, but it's mostly home to cheap pound shops that really aren't very exciting. Round the corner of the Droylsden Centre is a small pedestrianised area, with as many units boarded up as home to shops, but at least these are local shops and have a tiny bit more character to them. The whole area is quiet and faded, it could do with a good spring clean I think to liven the place up.

My home town. No much here beyond your weekly shopping, a small library and a couple of caffs…read more Wilkinsons and Quality save are a highlight, pepsi bottles for 40 pence a piece. This place was recently expanded about 8 years ago, co-op knocked down and loads of retail area up for grabs. Most of this was filled up by shops we already had and their old premises bought up by banks and travel companies. No McDonalds which me and me mates were looking forward to, no Woolies, nowt exciting like we were expecting. What do we have now? The shops we used to have a few extra poundshops and somewhere that tries to sell poor people furnbiture and technology they dont need at ridiculous prices and keeping them bogged down with interest slavery for years to come (unless they do the smart thing and leg it with the stuff) Basically the town centre reflects the people of Droylsden, poor, oppressed and with little hope in site.

Dear,oh dear,oh dear...it looks like Oldham has come down with a severe case of empty shopitis, a…read morecondition that is taking hold of most town centres these days. Even though it is only about 5 miles down the road from me,i very rarely go into Oldham any more,and on the back of todays experience it will be even longer before I go back again. All that is missing from Spindles and next doors old shopping centre us tumbleweed. I was shocked at just how many of the shops had closed down since my last visit,and with rents and rates being what they are these days it is unlikely they will be filled anytime soon. It seem as though Oldham is suffering from the same things as my home town of Rochdale.How Waterstones is managing to stay open i'll never know, and seeing as HMV has closed down, looking at books was all that was left for me to do. Depressing,very depressing....Shame...

This is the first time I've ever been to Oldham. and I went to the shopping centre it was ok lots…read moreof chain shops. It has a carpark attached to the shopping centre which was free on a Sunday for four hours.

IKEA, the huge Scandinavian chain selling ready-to-assemble furniture and housewares, in a…read morewarehouse-like space over a few levels with different sections. Thy sell items for living space, bedrooms, kitchens and almost everything else you would want for your home. It has everything you need for all your home furnishings. There are one or two IKEAS in each big city around the UK and the World. It is very reasonably priced and they are usually very up to date with everything they sell. They also have a cafe in each store which has very reasonably priced breakfast and scandinavian style foods. They also have the IKEA family card where you can get discount on Breakfasts,Complimentary Tea and Coffee and great benefits for this great company. The Ashton IKEA is very easy to get to with great motorway links and a direct tram from the city centre of Manchester.

Normally IKEA would be 5/5 as I love the showroom aspect to seeing what you're going to buy in a…read morereal world situation. Unfortunately I bought the IKEA poang chair and footstool only to find that upon unwrapping there was an incredibly pungent fishy smell!! Half a can of febreeze and two days later its still here!! Not happy. Apart from that I had a nice couple of hours there and picked up some bargains as well as having the Swedish meatballs in the cafe. Top tip: try the apple cider in the restaurant, it's beautiful! Or pick it up in the shop at the end if you're driving you won't regret it.

A nice brand to have in Ashton-Under-Lyne but that is pretty much where it ends for Marks and…read moreSpencer on Lord Sheldon Way. The Food Hall was very busy, for the first time ever I saw queuing from within a store to get to a specific section, I found this strange as the queuing is normally outside the store to get in especially when it isn't raining, the queue to get into the Food Hall section was mismanaged, slow (considering how few people were waiting) and seemed to get in the way, blocking parts of the clothes section. The Food Hall was much smaller than most other Marks and Spencer stores I've visited. I also noticed a lack of signage around the store compared to other M and S locations, combined with a lack of staff members, I actually had to ask a fellow customer for directions around the store. Useful brand to have in Ashton-Under-Lyne, but most aspects of the store experience from Food Hall selection to staff seem a little poor by Marks and Spencer usual standards, it does have a large car park though, albeit shared with Sainsbury's and Ashton Moss Metrolink nearby, but I'd rather hop on the tram for 30 minutes to one of their locations in Manchester city centre. 2*