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.

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 place feels like it has got left behind. I prefer the Trafford Centre or Liverpool ONE.read more

Over priced £1 for pva glue what on earth caused such money…read moregreed not to mention is maze like structure and the so called reusable bags that I'm sure are recycled condoms

Shopping here is great! With plenty of main high street shops you're sure to find what you came…read morefor! The centre is always kept nice and clean and there are benches to leave your hubby at while you shop til you drop There's no river island or primark which is a little disappointing but hey! You can't fit every shop in here can you?! Parking is only £1 for upto 24 hours which is fab!! So no need to worry about ridiculous parking prices Definitely would recommend this place to family or friends, I often meet up with them here to have a coffee and catch up!

A great selection of shops all in one precinct. The large Peacocks store located next door to Boots…read moreis a favourite. Much larger than the Oldham one. Good selection of bargin shops including the pound shop and home bargins. Lots of seating to rest you tired feet and shopping bags in the centre. Everything from cafes to clothes to travel agents.

This market hall in it's heyday use to be thriving with everything you needed before the bigger…read moreshops came along! Fear not... You can get all your basic essentials here, from groceries to house hold products. Furniture to phones. Hoover bags to earrings! Cooked meats, bread, eggs, fruits and veg! Stop for a coffee or a full English whilst your here or get your hair cut in the barbers!

Last month, I visited ASM store, using curtsey car due to a car accident that rendered my vehicle…read moreunusable. As I understand, PCE, manages the car park of ASM. The car park is free for customers. However, after making payment at counter, the customers' needs to make entry of car registration number on t the display screen next to exit door. Regrettably, it appears that during this process, there might have been an error on my part--I may have inadvertently entered an old car registration number or, worse yet, forgotten to input the details entirely. Upon receiving a notice of car parking charges from the rental company, I promptly lodged an appeal, attaching proof of my shopping receipt from ASM as evidence of my visit. Despite providing this concrete evidence, which unequivocally verifies my presence at your store during the specified time, my appeal was callously overruled. This unjust dismissal of my appeal, despite furnishing proof of purchase, suggests a blatant disregard for customer goodwill and fairness.

ASM Cash & Carry is a surprisingly large Indian grocery store in the style of Worldwide Foods in…read moreRusholme, although ASM has the added attraction of a sari shop under the same roof! All the usual favourites are there, the dhals, rices, spices and speciality fruit & veg and fresh herbs. So if you are in Ashton experiencing hunger pangs for okra or yam or a big bunch of coriander leaf or fenugreek or a box of honey mangoes - ASM Cash & Carry are your people! On this visit, I discovered some different poppadum makes and varieties - including one incorporating fenugreek leaf which I can't wait to try! A plus for me is that this place appears to be totally vegetarian, and that would make sense as the adjacent Indian café-restaurant is called Lily's Vegetarian - I think Lily's is owned by the same people. The staff are really sweet, and the atmosphere is understandably a bit less hurried than Rusholme equivalents. I will definitely visit ASM when I'm in the area, and any Ashton foodie worth their salt should be a regular visitor!

I love shoes and sadly my obsession started with Sex and the City and has never stopped since. If I…read morecould I would have my own walk in wardrobe for my shoes, like in the sex and the city movie. Sadly I do not own a Mr Big. Anyway back to reality and this little shop I discovered. And what a shop, and a lot of shoes. They have a massive collection of different designers and ranging from wellies to high heels. I loved it in here and tried on around 60 pairs like you do! Independant shoe shops are hard to find today as high street stores tend to make their money from them so I was thrilled when I found this place. Now I am going to go and rethink about my obsession with shoes and basically shopping.....

I ADORE this shop! I'm a sucker for designer bags (don't judge me..) but can't always afford to get…read morethem new, designer exchange sells pre loved bags and accessories at a fraction of the original price. Some of the bags are literally as good as new. The older the collection the cheaper the price usually (unless it's Chanel...of course). I'm not bothered about the 'latest season' look, I look for quality, design and craftsmanship so this place is heaven for me. They also buy directly from customers. All bags are checked for authenticity so you can rest assured you're buying a genuine item. The staff couldn't be nicer, and they're not pretentious or overbearing so I often just go in for a browse without any pressure to buy. Golden purchase - a hand embroided, leather Dior bag. As good as new. Originally sold for $1700, bought for £90. Can I get a hallelujaH?!

Millgate Shopping Centre may no longer be Bury's main/flagship shopping centre, but giving credit…read morewhere credit is due, they have still carried on despite the new The Rock development and tried their best to still grow and improve, which is rather good for a small town, considering there3 is a lack of empty units around the mall, which is good to see. Brands here include Boots, Costa, CeX, EE, HMV, Waterstones, WHSmith and all of the UK's main mobile phone operators, and Bury Market is right outside. Parking is generally quite cheap, at a couple of pounds, it still could be better value for money right now and as of January 2021, the car park is closed until further notice but there are satisfactory public transport links nearby including via bus and Metrolink, the latter is, of course, quicker from Manchester compared to the 135 which takes twice as long. The staff around the mall seemed friendly and happy to help. 3* - Great for the people of Bury, not really worth a trip out for, but still a decent shopping centre for a small town, supported by The Rock nearby.

Mill Gate is in a good location, being in the middle of the market complex, it is generally busy,…read morehardly any premises up for rent, though not of the Trafford Centre size, the variety of shops is quite good, plus various pop ups, and one can access the indoor market without going outside in bad weather, which is useful, certainly a better set up than Bolton or Blackburn, since Bury parking is much better than Blackburn!