This department store reminds me of just what quintessential department stores should be. Ornate,…read moreold, on a main street, looking pretty as can be, even more enticing at Christmas. And that's just what Broads and Booths is. Plus it holds great nostalgia for me, a pair of my friends used to busk outside it when I was working as a chambermaid at Squire's. We'd spend the morning making moolah and count our cash in hand earnings to spend at Aqua in the afternoon after lunch. Ah, those weekends. The irresponsibility of youth. Part of the Beales group, Broads has survived for eons in its convenient location and sells everything you could need, from fashion accessories for men and women to clothes, soft furnishings to gifts, fine fragrances and cosmetics, there's a cookshop and a bed and bathshop and a restaurant and café for when your legs refuse to carry you any longer. You can even order all your lovely things online too. It's kind of like the Southport equivalent of Harrods or Lewis's, obviously on a much smaller and simpler scale but that's how much it's shaped the Southport landscape. Definitely worth a browse.

This is actually called Bealls now but Je refuse to write a Bealls review. Broadbents and…read moreBoothroyds has so much more panache. I remember as a little girl being amazed at all the luxury items and then being herded off to Woolys. Upscale, the old staircases are still intact but alas alack a little too crowded for me. The spell is broken.

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.

I like this branch of John Lewis which is located at the Trafford Centre with plenty of parking,…read moremaking it super easy to pull up and head straight in. It's also very neat and tidy which is pretty important to me as I hate it when a shop is in total disarray (think the hellhole that is Primark) as it just makes the whole shopping experience more stressful than it should be. I've always found the staff to be approachable and friendly and will happily dispense advice on the best toaster or coffee machine for your buck, if you so desire. John Lewis is definitely one of the more premium department stores (not quite Harvey Nics but definitely not Debenhams) so the products and prices obviously mirror this but if you are after gifts or items that are of a higher quality then it's a brilliant option. Another major plus point for John Lewis is that if you sign up for their loyalty card online they send you vouchers for free coffee and cake every month - this sweetens the shopping experience no end!

This is just for the Cafe, Not for the Shop…read more We ordered a couple of coffees and come cake while browsing through John Lewis. I'm gonna keep this short as there isn't a lot to say really. The Cafe is drab and so is the food. I don't know why it's so busy. The staff eren't very friendly either, I can think of 10 places much better only a few minutes walk away. No second chances on this one i'm afraid.

Barrow is very proud of its Debenhams - we don't have many shops, but this is a good one! A huge…read moredepartment store covering 2 big floors, with a car park on the roof so you don't have to carry your shopping too far! It has everything from womenswear, kids, menswear, cosmetics, accessories, sportswear, lingerie, home items, gifts, wedding listthe list goes on! It has also brought Warehouse, Faith and Jane Norman clothes and shoes to Barrow in the form of concessions within the store, which is great as we didn't have those stores before. It has a cafe on the first floor so you can take a well-earned break from your shopping trip for a cup of tea - they do a fantastic breakfast for £3.50 (until 11.30am) and a lunchtime menu as well. It has full disabled access with lifts and escalators as well as the stairs, and is always clean and brightly lit. The staff will annoy you by asking if you want to open a Debenhams account card even if you're only spending £1 - but it is actually one of the better account cards out there, as they send you offers throughout the year and have special cardholders days. If you can't be bothered traipsing round lots of shops and want to get everyone's Christmas presents in one place this year, Debenhams will have something for everyone!

A popular store, perhaps due to the ease of parking. Selling clothes, toys, perfumes etc. Nice…read morelittle cafe on the second floor with a fairly reasonable selection of food at good prices. Staff are always happy to help, particularly when dealing with disabled customers. Several times we have been in and had to ask for specially served food for someone who cannot eat the majority of restaurant food and they have never refused, and never complained about having to do something different. The store has two floors which can be reached either by escalator or lift

Hoopers on James Street is the largest department store in Harrogate town centre, it is located…read moreover five floors in a fairly old building. The layout of the store did seem a little strange, which could be down to the building its-self, you have to pass through the Cafe, and then a set of doors after going out of the lift on the Basement, to get into the Menswear section, despite having five floors, each individual floor was not overly large, with the top floor being just "customer services", but the store was a reasonable size overall. I did notice some of the clothing sections to be a little laid out like a jumble sale, they did have some good items at reasonable prices though, so not a wasted trip by any means. The Ground Floor was nicely laid out, and perhaps the most welcoming and premium area of the store, showcasing a range of fragrances and beauty products. The opening hours are pretty draconian, so plan ahead, they are open between 10 am and 5 pm Monday to Saturday and do not open on Sundays. I probably wouldn't return, but a nice addition to the shopping scene in Harrogate's town centre. 3*

Fantastic store, lots of choice and some brilliant makeup counters- New Laura Mercier!!…read more Some great clothing finds- French Connection and Ted Baker are definately worth a look

The Mall in Blackburn is the main shopping centre to serve the city centre and it does boast some…read morebig names which includes Argos, Boots, Clarks, Costa, EE, Game, Greggs, H&M, JD, Next, Pandora, Ryman, Subway, Topshop, USC, Sports Direct, Thorntons, River Island and a Post Office to name a few, which is quite impressive for a small town like Blackburn. The mall its-self is a decent size, it mainly seems to be all over one floor, but from the standard street level where Morrisons and the Markets are, you do need to go up a lift or escalator to get in and walking in that way wasn't really nice, it just felt bare walking through that coridoor which was cold, it wasn't very nice until you entered the main bit which was better. In a way, it felt cramped together how they had the shops and in some parts much of them were quite small including Argos, however their was a much more modern part with slightly nicer, newer and bigger stores such as Muffin Break, Next and Ryman. They didn't seem to be a large amount of staff or information points around to get assistance, so it was a bit of a free for all in a way, perhaps adding maps would have been easier to help find certain shops, I did struggle to find the Post Office at first mainly because it was situated right at the front enterance, hidden away in the newsagents away from everything else to the point where I wouldn't even count it as part of Blackburn's The Mall. The Mall actually comes from a chain of 6 branches around the UK, mainly in the South of England with other locations such as Luton. They did have an information counter which I went onto find, which is quite cool in the fact it is also a Collect Plus point, which is a key provider in returns from a large amount of companies, which includes Amazon in addition to the Post Office, which has a location here and Amazon Lockers, which are based in Morrisons just across the way. I didnt use parking here so can't comment on that, i would instead recommend parking across the way and not in either Morrisons or the main parking which is free for Blue Badge holders. Overall, this is a nice mall with some nice shops and well-known chains surrounding it, combining some of the biggest companies in WHSmith and Mcdonald's, and the smallest such as Rhode Island Coffee and Muffin Break so it has done enough to at least earn a slightly generous three star rating.

Woohoo! As good as it gets.......... in Blackburn…read more Actually is quite nice in there, got loads of stuff, spent a fair wack of time in there on weekends

Quite a large department store with loads of different departments to suit yourself and your home…read more The prices are quite high but the products are of good quality. There is a multi storey car park provided.

I generally find what I want, the staff are great they're friendly and if you need help they are…read morehappy to help. The one thing that they need to so is make sure everything has a price on it, sometimes I go to buy something and there is no price on it.

The Factory Shop basically sells ex-catalogue type stuff. The stock is fairly consistent. At the…read moremoment the balance is about half clothing and shoes. The other half is split between kitchen-ware, toys, and everything which you didn't know that you needed until you see it! Since Woolworths closed it is quite a good bet if nowhere else has it. Like most shops of this type everything is well squashed together. I would guess that things are about 20% off R.R.P., but don't quote me on that. Usefully it is right next to The Gill car-park with pick-up space outside. The easiest way to get there is up Upper Brook St. from Kings St., by the Chippy Bank

This Hurley's location is next to VUE and opposite Starbucks in Middlebrook Retail Park in the…read moreHorwich area of Bolton, alongside a branch they have in Wigan, this is one of their two remaining stores. Hurley's describes itself as a "family-owned business since 1955, and "the original sportswear shop in Manchester city centre" The store is easy to navigate with clear areas of store for women's and men's fashion, the staff seemed very friendly and helpful, and they were able to answer basic questions. They had a nice selection of designer clothing from many brands including Hugo Boss and Barbour. 4* - A nice selection of fashion if you're lucky enough to find something in your size, this is mainly an "Outlet" store now, so they might not have each item in every size and you do have to root around to find the item you are looking for on the shelving, which can involve touching most items, I understand why many retailers do this but I much prefer being able to see items without having to pick it up to take a closer look.

Hurley's is situated at Middlebrook development in Horwich, Bolton…read more There is a large Free car park and a bus service to Middlebrook. The store is near to Next and the cinema and you go inside as if you are going to the cinema to get to it. It is next door to Abacus chinese restaraunt and opposite a coffee shop. The outside of Hurley's is very attractive, glitzy, modern, bright and the window displays are inspiring, trendy and up to date. Inside the store is a good size with an area dedicated to the ladies on the left hand side and a mens section to the right. The store is bright, clean, well layed out and the displays are well presented. The ladies section has numerous designer brands including Miss Sixty, Hooch, Bench and Henleys and there is a good shoe section and some bags and fragrances too. The mens section stocks numerous designer brands too and they include Henleys, Bench and Henri Lloyd. The store is large enough for a sales section without cramping the area and is normally well worth a visit. There are fitting rooms and these are a good size, clean and modern. The checkouts are in both sections and are normally well staffed. Staff are very friendly, helpful and efficient, the atmosphere is good. The store is handy for accessing other stores within the development which include.Next, Argos, Tog, Asda, Currys, JD Sports, JJB and a host of others and also eating places eg KFC, McDonalds, Subway and Gregs. A great shop and one of my favourites when someone is treating me to something special, highly recommended.