I enjoyed a sneak peek around Sunderland's new Home Bargains store and this is what I thought

The first thing that stuck me when pulling into the carpark is the sheer scale of the store.

Covering 26,146 sq. ft, this is bargain shopping on a whole new level. With a cafe, bakery, fresh and frozen food sections, this is more of a retail experience in keeping with the feel of one of the supermarket giants compared to the Home Bargains stores in which I’ve previously shopped.

With spring having sprung there’s plenty on offer for green fingered shoppers and barbecue lovers at the store’s Garden Centre.

You can purchase flowers, trees, shrubs and carved wooden animal decorations to really make you garden bloom this spring. Now the sun seems to have awoken from its winter slumber what better way to enjoy it than with a nice tipple of something from the store’s extensive drinks selection whilst reclining amidst one of the stylish garden furniture sets on display.

You can even purchase an ornamental Buddha accompanied with a water feature.

If you bring your children shopping then be sure to bring your credit card as the toy and party aisles are sure to catch their eye. And for your four legged friends there’s an extensive pets’ corner offering animal foods, beds and toys.

Despite all these new additions, you can still get your fill of staple Home Bargains goods with great deals to be had on homeware, health and beauty essentials, sweets, snacks and drinks.

There’s even an extensive DIY section to ensure you get those ‘to do jobs’ done at long last.

Items which particularly caught my eye - and stomach - were the pie making machines and double air fryers, all significantly lower than the recommended retail prices. Many of the items on sale are labelled as star prices with deals to be had which in some cases are more than 50% less than the recommended retail price.

And after all that retail therapy you can enjoy a cuppa and a snack in the store’s cafe. With a breakfast roll for just £1.99 or a pot of tea and a cake for just £2.49, it’s not just the food you take home where you can bag yourself a bargain.

Ahead of the opening, store manager Victoria Rowe said: “We have spent £5m on this store and it looks amazing. This is one of our biggest stores in the region with a much wider range of products than many of our older North East stores.

“It’s fantastic to have the cafe and bakery, with all the food baked and cooked on site.”

The new store will also bring a welcome boost to the city’s economy with the creation of 71 new jobs.

The new Home Bargains is set to open its doors to shoppers at 8am on Saturday (March 22) morning and Victoria “can’t wait to welcome the first customers”.

She added: “It’s so exciting. There has been a lot of hard work over the last five or six days to get the store to the standard we have achieved.

“There are bargains galore to be had and I know there will be customers coming out of here tomorrow with trolleys and baskets full of great deals.”

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