| For people who
just love to shop, the Trafford Centre could well
be what they’ve always dreamed of. With 280 shops,
35 restaurants, a cinema and ten-pin bowling arcade, this shopping and entertainment complex looks like a
whole town under one roof.
The 1.4 million sq ft of retail space is filled with every
chainstore imaginable, including Next, Warehouse, Marks
& Spencer, Dixons, Carphone Warehouse and Burton.
Mixed into this array of high street shops you’ll
find a selection of designer stores, including Lacoste,
French Connection, The Gap and Ralph Lauren. Add to this
two department stores – the exclusive Selfridges
and trusty Debenhams – and you’ve got the
ingredients for a fantastic day’s shopping.
The Selfridges store, with its two floors of exciting
departments, including a fantastic food hall and range
of designer clothes, is the focal point of the Trafford
Centre. What makes this store all the more special is
the fact that it is one of only three outside London –
the others being in Manchester city centre and Birmingham.
Debenhams, located at the far end of the centre, has a
good variety of departments from designer wear and high
street trends to cosmetics and home furnishings. Just
outside the store you’ll find a Debenhams coffee
shop surrounded by palm trees (albeit fake ones) and water
features.
At the opposite end to Debenhams you’ll find soon
find a branch of the John Lewis department store,
which is to take over from where the Festival Village once stood. However you will still find small independent
retail outlets and stalls in the Trafford Centre, nestled
between all the other shops.
After all that shopping why not take a well-earned break
in the food court, The Orient, which has top restaurants
offering American, English, French, Indian, Spanish and
Italian cuisine. On the ground floor there is a selection
of fast-food outlets, including McDonalds and KFC, more
than 1,000 seats so you can sit down and enjoy your
meal in peace.
Here you’ll also see a stage and a huge TV screen,
which are often used for fashion shows, charity
events and even gigs by pop stars such as Mark
Owen and Peter Andre.
After sampling the cuisine why not make an evening of
it by heading off to one of the bars, such as Tiggis or
the Trafford Tavern, or catch a movie at the 20-screen
UCI cinema.
If you prefer to a night of fun and games why not try
your hand at ten-pin bowling, pool or laser quest, which
are all available in The Orient.
And if you enjoy yourself so much that you want to stay
the night then don’t worry there is even on site
accommodation at the Travel Inn.
Whether you go for the shopping, entertainment or the
food, the Trafford Centre, with its 10,000 free car
parking spaces, weather-free streets and smooth marble
floors, is a great experience and Manchester’s retail
pride and joy.
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