Popular corner shop franchise Spar is so big that it has branches in such classy European hangouts…read moreas Magaluf, showing that we English just can't go without our daily fix of essentials at slightly steep prices. This branch in Harrington Road, Formby is not really different to your standard Spar, offering the usual small selection of bread, cold meats and alcohol that are a bit overpriced. However, this branch does also have a bakery section on which you can purchase hot pastries such as sausage rolls that leave the shop with a lovely home-baked smell if nothing else. It also offers a DVD rental service, but I guess that's rather defunct now as it's cheaper to buy them off Amazon or download them for free.

A well stocked, clean mini supermarket. You never run out of anything living near to this shop. The…read morestaff are efficient and happy too most of the time! Service is usually quick too. This shop stocks fresh, frozen, tinned and dried foods and also have a good selection of newspapersn and magazines.

Always a friendly service. As a new resident to the area, was made to feel welcome. Not enough of…read morethese kind of shops these day, a dying breed. It's the "old fashioned" village shop. Even has a cash machine that doesn't charge you!! Love this little homely shop!!

Smashing little village stores which crams an awful lot into a small space. An extensive alcohol…read moresection and a really good range of produce for such a small store. As well as all the usual things you would expect them to stock they also have such delights as Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding and excellent bread rolls which look (and taste) like they come from a small bakery. Cashpoint machine in store too which is convenient for a small village like Hambleton. Friendly lady proprietor passes the time of day, great little shop!

This is where we get our petrol, they have quite an extensive range of foods and drinks in store…read moreand do a wonderful breakfast bun, all be it a little expensive, idea for milk and everything else as they are en-route to anywhere we want to go and have often been a life-saver on the way home when we have forgot to pick up any essentials.

Cracking Spar shop located just outside Hambleton in a small group of businesses which includes a…read moretakeaway, launderette and garage. It has a great range of stock including a good selection of hot pies and pasties (also whole hot cooked chickens), freezer section, newspapers and magazines, large alcohol section, chilled items, car accessories (Autoglym, oil, de-icer etc.), bars and boxes of chocolates and much more. Cashpoint machine outside with free withdrawals. I would have given it 5 stars but on the day I visited the member of staff wasn't especially friendly, not unfriendly just a bit unsmiling really. All in all a handy little shop if you're travelling over Wyre though.

A good shop if you need the basics. They also have DVD rental and an alright selection of wines, so…read moreit's great as a local shop. The prices are mid-range and they do offers too. The shop also sells magazines, so everything you need really for those little shops when you've run out of milk!

Popular convenience store situated in the village of Longton. Shelves are always well stocked and…read moregood choice of products available. Staff are well presented and friendly. Parking available outside the store.

Great little corner shop literally on a corner! They have coffee, freshly baked pastries,…read moreessentials, ready meals, frozen foods and a lot of booze that's readily refrigerated. The guys who work here are amazing and very helpful!

SPAR on Oxford Road, is in a useful location, opposite Starbucks and a short walk away from…read moreManchester Oxford Road Station, pretty much a typical SPAR in terms of selection and pricing, yet a fairly reasonable and modern location. The store has a coffee machine and a decent stock of most essentials, at the usual inflated convenience store price, but obviously, it's what you pay for convenience and location, especially with 24/7 opening coming in handy. The stock in the store is reasonable, again I do find Tesco nearby to be slightly better, but pretty much on par with Sainsbury's. Pretty much your average convenience store, it doesn't really offer anything that the dozens of alternatives nearby do not offer, other than the opening hours. 3*

I know its boring to review a Spar but I really really want to tell everyone about Spar's own Blue…read moreBear energy drinks. For fans of energy drinks, the discovery of this beverage, the details of which I am about to impart to you, will be a significant moment in life. Imitation Red Bull is widespread. This we know. We also know what every attempt is an absolute failure. From the attempt of one of the worlds largest companies, Coca-Cola, with Relentless, to the efforts of LIDL and ALDI whose energy drinks cost 27p, all attempts to reproduce Red Bull have proven completely futile. Now that has changed. Spar have not only created a cheap imitation of Red Bull that is tasty and effective, but they've actually managed to create the best energy drink in the world ever, usurping Red Bull in the very act of attempting to copy it. Blue Bear energy drinks are apple and grape in flavor, and as the bubbles hit your mouth the gorgeous fruity but not too sweet taste fills your mouth with joy. Then you feel wide awake and focused for several hours. Unbelievable. Its only a pound and thirty pence for 2 cans, and there is not only a sugar free option but a delicious cranberry option too. Better still, its available in large bottles so you can stock up! Other than that, a Spar is a Spar.

Slightly tucked away in Green Quarter, this Co-op Food store is one of the small numbers of…read morelocations to support the Pay in aisle app, the store is close to Victoria Station and the company's HQ and is in the perfect location for nearby flats. The store is pretty modern, it has a decent selection of most items, while I feel their to-go food and beverage selection including drinks isn't as good as other stores nearby such as opposite Victoria Station, Spinningfields and Piccadilly, it still is a pretty good store and they have a good range of essentials and more, even a coffee machine. The staff seemed friendly enough, they were quickly on hand to remove unloading barriers which were placed in the way before I could even ask them too. A really useful store for the surrounding flats and Green Quarter area and the store seems to be slicker and have a nicer selection in most areas compared to the nearby station opposite Victoria. 4*

A small co-op food with a decent selection of quick and easy snacks, and a good selection of fresh…read moregoodies as well. Located on the ground floor of Cypress Place, this is a go-to place for quick foods for anyone living in the Green Quarter. The shop is kept brightly lit and clean, and staff are friendly. It's never going to be a one-stop shop for everything you need to stock in your kitchen, but it's got plenty to fill in the gaps with any essentials you might run out of. The main negative with this shop is the relatively high prices - it's significantly more expensive than other shops, but it's just a matter of convenience versus having to walk to town to pick up some snacks or milk and save a quid or two.

Co-op Food at Wilmslow Park, is in a good location, on Hathersage Rd, it is just off Oxford Road, a…read morestone's throw away from the central Manchester hospitals. It's pretty much an average convenience store in an area that is dominated by them, with multiple stores from Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer close by. The selection again is fine, good for basic essentials, not much else. The pricing is a little high, but no worse than any Co-Op Food in general. The store is fairly small, but the selection is fine, the layout is pretty much the same as any other Co-Op, with the one exception being they actually have a Post Office inside the store which is pretty handy, although the Post Office does shut at 17:30 Monday to Saturday and is closed on Sunday's, which feels far too early when the main store is open until midnight. 3*