Days Out NI
Shopping Centre Newtownards

Ards Shopping Centre

Around 47 shops under one roof in Newtownards — Primark, Asda, TK Maxx and free parking for around 1,200 cars.

1 photo
Open 7 days7am–10pm Mon–Sat · Sun from 1pm
Free to browseAround 1,200 free parking spaces
NewtownardsCircular Road · BT23 4BN
Get directionsOfficial website
1–2 hoursHow long
All agesBest for
IndoorsRain-proof
FreeTo browse
Free parking~1,200 spaces

Around 47 shops, free parking for roughly 1,200 cars and every errand sorted under one roof — Newtownards' big everyday shopping stop, trading below Scrabo's hill since 1976.

  • What you'll do — sweep the bargain anchors: Primark, TK Maxx, B&M and Poundland in one loop, do the big shop at Asda or Iceland, point the kids at Toytown, and land at Costa or Starbucks when the bags get heavy.
  • How long — a solid 1–2 hours. It's an errands-and-bargains stop rather than a full day out, so pair it with Scrabo Tower or Ark Open Farm — both about five minutes away — and the day builds itself.
  • Cost & parking — free to browse, and the centre lists around 1,200 free parking spaces right outside the doors. No meters, no apps, no ticket to lose.
  • Come ready — the centre runs 7am–10pm Monday to Saturday, but the big names set their own hours inside that — Primark and TK Maxx close much earlier, especially Saturdays — so check store times if you're coming for one shop late on.
  • Food — McDonald's, KFC, Subway, Costa and Starbucks plus a couple of cafés. Quick, dependable refuelling rather than a restaurant quarter — for a longer sit-down lunch, the cafés around Conway Square in the town centre are a few minutes away.
  • When — weekday mornings are the calm shift; Saturday afternoons are the busy one. Decembers have brought free Santa visits and kids' events in past years — check the centre's Facebook for this season's line-up.
  • Sunday starts at 1pm. Doors open 1pm–6pm on Sundays and bank holiday hours differ again (the centre lists 10am–5pm, with Asda different again) — an early Sunday run will find the shutters down.
  • Pitch it right. This is a practical local centre — brilliant for bargains, the weekly shop and a dry hour with a coffee, but it's not a leisure destination on its own. Come with a list, then go climb Scrabo.
Plan your visit

Just turn up — free parking and long hours

No tickets, no booking, no parking charge — pull in and walk straight through the doors. The centre itself runs 7am–10pm Monday to Saturday and 1pm–6pm Sunday, with 10am–5pm listed for bank holidays — but those are the building's hours, not every shop's. Asda trades the longest; Primark, TK Maxx, B&M and most of the rest keep shorter, more normal shop hours inside them, so check the centre's website store list if one shop is the whole reason you're going.

Around 47 stores under one roof ~1,200 free parking spaces McDonald's, KFC & coffee stops Baby change & feeding room Free wheelchair & scooter hire Post Office on site
Store hours are the catch, not centre hours:

The building opens 7am–10pm Mon–Sat, but individual shops set their own times inside that — Primark and TK Maxx list 9am–6pm on Saturdays, for example — and everything shifts on bank holidays and around Christmas. Check the centre's opening-hours page, or ring 028 9181 5444, before a trip built around one store.

Before you set off

What to wear & bring

  • 🛍️Reusable bagsBetween Primark, B&M and the big shop, the haul adds up fast — and the car's only steps away.
  • 📝A listThis is an errands centre at heart — a list turns a wander into a clean sweep with time left for Scrabo.
  • 💳A card and a little cashShops, the coffee stop and the Post Office counter — parking costs nothing.
  • 🧸The kids' pocket moneyToytown and the bargain aisles will find it a home — and a free reward for trailing round the shops.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Cost
Free to browse and free to park — you only pay for what you buy and eat.
Opening
Centre hours: Mon–Sat 7am–10pm, Sun 1pm–6pm, bank holidays 10am–5pm. Individual stores keep their own shorter hours inside those — check the centre's website before a trip built around one shop.
Parking
Around 1,200 free spaces on site per the centre, plus motorcycle parking near Asda. Disabled parking sits at all three main entrances.
Shops
Around 47 stores in the centre's own count — anchored by Asda, Primark, TK Maxx, Iceland and B&M, with the likes of Boots, Superdrug, JD Sports, River Island, Poundland, Card Factory, Toytown, Argento and two travel agents. Sports Direct has been among the newer arrivals.
Food & drink
McDonald's, KFC, Subway, Costa, Starbucks, plus cafés including Del Piero's and Home Farm Café. Quick and dependable rather than fancy — head into the town centre for a longer lunch.
For families
A baby changing and feeding room beside the customer toilets near the Primark end, pram-friendly walkways, and Toytown for the small shoppers.
Accessibility
Disabled parking at all three main entrances, an accessible toilet by the public facilities, and free wheelchairs and mobility scooters through the on-site Shopmobility unit or customer services.
Services
Post Office, pharmacy counters via the health-and-beauty stores, Hays Travel and TUI, and free WiFi through the mall.
Events
Seasonal events run through the year — past Decembers have brought free Santa visits with no booking needed. The centre's Facebook page carries the current line-up.
Getting there
22c Circular Road, Newtownards BT23 4BN — on the edge of the town centre, a short walk from Conway Square, about 25–30 minutes from east Belfast on the A20.
How long
1–2 hours for the shops and a coffee — then five minutes in the car gets you to Scrabo Tower or Ark Open Farm for the fun half of the day.
Questions

Before you go

Is it free to get in?
Yes — free to walk in and browse, seven days a week, and the parking is free too. You only pay for what you buy and eat.
Is the parking really free?
Yes — the centre lists around 1,200 free spaces on site, with disabled bays at all three main entrances and motorcycle parking near Asda.
What time does it open on Sunday?
1pm–6pm — worth knowing before an early run. Bank holidays are different again (the centre lists 10am–5pm), and individual stores vary within all of these.
Is there anywhere to eat?
Plenty for a quick bite — McDonald's, KFC, Subway, Costa, Starbucks and a couple of cafés. It's fast, family-easy food rather than sit-down dining; the town centre a few minutes away has more of that.
Is it good with a pram or a wheelchair?
Yes — level, pram-friendly walkways, a baby changing and feeding room beside the toilets near Primark, disabled parking at all three entrances, and free wheelchairs and mobility scooters through the Shopmobility unit.
Does Santa come at Christmas?
Past Decembers have brought free Santa visits with no booking needed, plus character appearances and kids' events. Check the centre's Facebook page for the current season before promising the kids.
Getting there

22c Circular Road, Newtownards BT23 4BN — on the ring road at the edge of the town centre, a short walk from Conway Square. Coming from Belfast it's the A20 the whole way, about 25–30 minutes from the east of the city, with the free car park right at the doors.

Directions on Google MapsOfficial website

Check ahead: 028 9181 5444

See it on our map
Nearby

Make more of the day

Scrabo TowerCountry park & big views · 5 min drive Ark Open FarmAnimals & play · 5 min drive Mount StewartHouse & gardens · 15 min down the lough road Castle EspieWetland centre & birds · 15 min drive
The story

Fifty years of the big shop

Ards Shopping Centre has been trading since 1976 — said to be one of the first purpose-built shopping centres of its kind in Northern Ireland, opening in an era when "everything under one roof" was still a new idea here. Fifty years on, it's woven into the routine of the whole Ards Peninsula: the place generations of local families have done the big shop, the school uniforms and the Christmas run.

The line-up has turned over plenty in that time — the supermarket anchor is Asda these days, Primark and TK Maxx hold down the fashion end, and newer names like Sports Direct have kept arriving — but the shape of the place hasn't changed: one roof, one free car park, everything within a few minutes' walk of the doors. That's exactly what makes it useful on a family day. There's no parking stress, no ticket machines, and a pram rolls the whole way round.

The setting is better than a shopping centre has any right to expect, too. Scrabo Tower stands on its hill just outside town, and the whole of Strangford Lough opens up a few minutes down the road — Mount Stewart one way, Castle Espie the other, Ark Open Farm practically around the corner. Which is the honest way to use this place: it's not the day out itself, it's the pit stop that makes the day out run smoothly. Do the practical hour here — bargains, lunch, the forgotten wellies from the bargain aisles — then get back out into one of the best day-trip landscapes in Northern Ireland.