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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Was in Ashton store Sunday, only one on the till, while the rest of the staff was on there phones,…read morewatching her struggling, why not put 2 on the till near the cigarettes, no wonder they like doing overtime sunday, need to get this sorted

Like a lot of people out there in Yelp land, I love a bargain I mean who doesn't, so when I see a…read morestore called B&M Bargains then the very fact that the word 'Bargains' is in the shops name must only be a good thing right? I've got to say that's B&M is the Rolls Royce of the Cheapy shop world, yes some of the clientele can bit a bit dubious looking, yes a lot of the staff work there because they failed their Pound Land exam, but don't let that put you off going in. The whole place is filled with products you didn't know existed and didn't know you wanted - for me in particular I go for the brand names just to play it safe, I challenge anyone to find a box of Cadbury Chocolate fingers for 49p or less or a large bar of Green & Blacks milk chocolate for 99p! For a short while during summer I must admit that I did have a slight infatuation with their outdoor lighting section, so much of it was solar powered, I was amazed by this high tech wizardry it was like all of the worlds energy problems had been solved and again at such reasonable prices. They have a selection of house hold items, mostly poor quality but then again to paraphrase Judy Garland, We ain't in John Lewis anymore! They also have some bath and beauty products with some reputable names as well as a very well stocked sweet department (as touched on earlier). I would say if you see one these shops next time you're on the High Street, don't quicken your step to walk on by, but step through the doors into this palace to price reduction, meet local celebrities some of whom may have appeared Jeremy Kyle show and or Crimewatch. Either way you'll leave feeling richer for the experience (unless they've had the pick pockets in that day, the little blighters)

Ashton wh smith is the worst disrespectfull workers when im sending a package especially the indian…read morewomen that works there she is the worst loud mouth and worst attitude i have ever seen in a worker she starts arguing with you be talking to a diffrent worker she will just start talking inbetween for no reason instead of focusing on her own customer

A pretty nice WH Smith location for a small town, although it isn't the new-style, modern format…read morewhich is mainly in larger towns and cities, and shopping malls, it still remains a pretty good store, located inside Ashton-Under-Lyne's The Arcades' mall. The book selection is pretty good, it's the best bricks and mortar retailer in the town if you're looking for books, the prices obviously are more than Amazon. It also is home to a decent selection of stationary and the post-office. The typical old-fashioned WHSmith decor in older stores remains, the carpet is less than ideal as it looks ragged and dirty, I much prefer the wooden style floors in their newer stores. Still a pretty decent WH Smith location, useful location within the town offering some decent services. 3*

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 ;)

Furniture stores are few these days as big chains are in charge more or less. This shop though has…read moregrown from strength to strength. It offers all sorts of furniture to customers and is very popular to locals as it is cheap and unique furniture. If you don't want to follow the herd and go to IKEA then this is your perfect find. It really is great!

From the owner: We are an independent retailer specialising in home furnishings and bathroom products. Good quality…read moreluxury at affordable prices.