Days Out - Shop till you drop

Shop Till You Drop

Don your crash helmet, plan your crowd control tactics and get ready to face the January sales with Teabreak!

If that Christmas money is burning a rather large hole in your pocket, we’ve got the perfect tonic – our expert bargain hunter guide to the best shopping centres in the UK. Here at Littlewoods Bingo we have scoured the country (all in the name of research you understand!) to give you the lowdown on where to shop until you drop.

One little tip before we commence – remember that festive bingo game you promised yourself? Well now’s the prefect time to play; just think how much better the shopping will be if you got a bingo jackpot stashed nicely in your purse!

MetroCentre

We’ll start ‘oop North’ with one of the UK’s biggest shopping centres. The Metro Centre, situated in Gateshead just outside Newcastle Upon Tyne, boasts more retailers, restaurants and leisure attractions than anywhere else in Europe.

That means you can spend your cash at over 300 shops and stores, from major names such as Debenhams, House of Fraser and Marks & Spencer, through to independent boutiques offering unique gifts and brands that can’t be found anywhere else in the UK.

If your feet just won’t stop aching from all the shopping, spend the last of your hard-earned bingo cash prize on some of the other attractions the MetroCentre has in store.

If theme parks are your thing, the recently opened MetroLand is the biggest indoor theme park in Europe. You’ll also find an 11 screen cinema and Megabowl Entertainment Centre if you’re feeling competitive.

Finally, one of our other favourite pastimes here at Littlewoods Bingo is also catered for at the MetroCentre – namely, food!

With over 50 restaurants, most of which offer late opening you can fill your boots with a range of after you’ve grabbed the bargains.

Oh, and there’s 10,000 free car parking spaces so you can leave the road/parking rage at home!

Trafford Centre

Since opening in 1998 the Trafford Centre has become one of the most famous indoor shopping centres in the UK. Covering 150 acres (that’s about the size of Mr Darcy’s estate!) the Trafford Centre is a short trip from the centre of Manchester and is easily accessible by motorway and public transport.

More than 5 million people live within a 45 minute drive of the centre – and for stats fans, that means a total potential retail expenditure of £13 billion! Sounds impressive, and if we had that sort of cash, we’d definitely be in Selfridges, Vivienne Westwood and John Lewis clearing out the shelves. How about you bingo buddies?

As well as 280 stores covering everything a bargain hunter could need, you’ll also find Europe’s largest food court with seating for 1600 and 36 restaurants, a 20-screen cinema and an 18-lane bowling alley.

If you manage to make it to the Trafford Centre for the January sales you’ll be in good company, as the venue attracts nearly 30 million visitors a year, with over 500,000 people spending their cash on a weekly basis.

So prepare for a bustling crowd – but in the opinion of all the shoppers here at Littlewoods Bingo – it’s worth it. The Trafford Centre is one of the only places outside London where you’ll find the famous Selfridges store. If you can’t find at least one item in there to melt your heart, frankly, you are made of stone!

Meadowhall

Moving a bit further south now to Yorkshire, and Sheffield’s very own Meadowhall. As one of the most famous and popular shopping centres in Europe, you’ve probably visited Meadowhall at some point. With a newly completed wing containing huge Primark and Next stores, spending that bingo cash prize has never been easier.

With 30 million visitors a year, you’ll find sales on all year round, not just at Christmas. That said, Meadowhall can get so busy during the festive period and New Year Sales that many stores will have a strict one in, one out policy.

For that extra special man in your life, why not pay a visit to the Apple Store, one of only five in the UK, where you can pick up the latest gadgets and pretend to be impressed by them!

Tragedy befell Meadowhall in July 2007, as the summer floods resulted in around 65% of the lower floor being closed, and many shops closing for refurbishment and repair.

Despite this, Yorkshire grit was again in evidence, and a few months later the stores were back open and doing brisk business as always.

One of the main advantages of Meadowhall is its accessibility by transport. Not only is it just off the M1 motorway, but it’s also the only shopping centre in the UK that combines a bus, rail and tram interchange.

The Bullring

If you’ve ever travelled through Birmingham, you can’t have failed to notice the striking structure that now dominates the skyline in the nation’s second city.

That bingo buddies, is the Bullring, originally an important market, it’s now a 21st century shoppers dream.

For all you spangley, glittery lovers, you’ll no doubt be impressed by the Bullring’s exterior. The outside is clad in 15,000 shiny aluminium discs and was apparently inspired by a Paco Rabanne sequinned dress.

With 180 stores, including a Selfridges, you be spellbound not only by the great range of bargains in store, but also by the architecture and surroundings if you are into that sort of thing!

In the first year since its £530 refurbishment, 36.5 million people visited the Bullring, making it the most visited shopping centre outside the West End of London, and one of the largest Shopping centres in Europe.

Bluewater

Boasting a massive 330 stores, Kent’s largest shopping centre, Bluewater, serves around 27 million people a year.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, it’s not just shopping you’ll find at this shopping centre. If the bargain hunting is getting a bit old, you can always catch a flick in the 13-screen cinema or get a bite to eat in 40 different restaurants and cafes. If there was the appropriate accommodation, we could probably live at Bluewater – food, drink, movies, shopping, what more could you want?

Such is the size of Bluewater, it is currently classed as the third biggest shopping centre in Europe, behind only the MetroCentre and Istanbul's Cevahir Mall.

At this time of year the sales in House of Fraser and M&S are bound to satisfy those with the shopping bug, but it’s the little differences at Bluewater that make the shopping experience all the more pleasant.

In May 2005, the shopping centre introduced a ban swearing, clothing that obscures the face (such as hoods and baseball caps), and groups of more than five who ‘didn’t intend to shop’. The move was controversial at the time, but it sounds good to us. Anyway, why would you go to a shopping centre without the intention to shop? Madness!

There you have it, our roundup of the premier shopping venues outside the capital. So what are you waiting for, get spending that bingo cash prize, Christmas bonus or cheque from your Auntie Bethel. We’ll still be here when you get back, so you can play all your favourite online bingo games when you’re shopped out. Happy bargain hunting!