WE LOVE THE BRIDGES!

At last! We have decent shops in Sunderland. The Bridges multi-million pound extension offers us a wide range of shops all under one roof.
Nikki Cryer and Adrian Fisher check it out.

The original Bridges was a tad too small and no match compared to the Metro Centre and Newcastle. With the new extension boasting top stores like Gap and Debenhams, there's no need to drag yourself out of town. Everything we need is right here on our doorstep!

Guys…

Ever woken in a blind panic 'cos you've just realised it's your girlfriend/mum/great aunty's birthday? Well calm down, your prayers have been answered in the shape of brand new department store Debenhams which is perfect to find that extra special gift in double quick time. Perfume, clothes, ornaments, kitchen utensils-pretty much everything you want. Debenhams is useful for fashion conscious lads too with their own in-house designer and in-store franchises like Red Herring, Men's Trader and Hyphen, to name just a few.

And let's not forget the very welcome appearance of Gap where we can purchase stylish streetwear additions to our wardrobes.

Other essential items for lads are gadgets (aka boys and their toys syndrome) and the newly opened gadget friendly shop provide us with wondrous items to keep us amused for hours.

The opening of the larger HMV store plus a bargain music store gives us loads of choice to up-date the music and video collections regularly.

With other additions such as BT's phone shop and old faithfuls like Game, we are pretty much sorted here in Sunderland.

Gals…

The long overdue addition of 29 shops to the jaded shopping centre is most welocme and a certain improvement. The new Debenhams department store, next door to TK Max is the perfect haven for a spot of retail therapy. With high street regulars like Jane Norman, Morgan and Oasis making a welcome arrival to the city you could say it's shopper's paradise for us girls.

The bridges is now jam-packed with high street must haves like New Look, TopShop, H&M, Gap and Mark One what more could we need? Well a Karen Millan and Kookai would be nice, but you can't have everything! The most recent additions to the Bridges include the charming yet cheap Superdrug, an improved HMV that sit nicely among the old favourites like Our Price and Boots.

Verdict…

Impressed to say the least. Not quite in the same league as the Metro Centre, but a marked improvement. The new developments make the Bridges a much better place to indulge in a shopping spree and when friends and family come to visit you can hold your head high and take them there!