A SCHOOL uniform shop has officially opened its doors at The Rock Shopping Centre.
Smart Start Schoolwear, part of the Debonair Schoolweargroup, is the latest tenant to join the centre.
The retailer, which has school uniform stores across the North West, including in Wythenshawe and Oldham has opened in a unit in St John’s Gardens at The Rock, opposite M&S.
Sarah of Smart start schoolwear said: “We’re really excited to have opened in Bury and are thrilled to be a part of The Rock. Our new store offers quality and value from the get-go. We meet the needs of parents and schools alike and are dedicated to maintaining high standards.
“Our shop is well-lit, clean, child-friendly and offers a modern shopping environment with plenty of changing rooms and knowledgeable staff to offer a refreshing experience. We look forward to meeting our new customers very soon.”
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, added: “We are thrilled to welcome Smart Start Schoolwear to The Rock and wish the team every success.”
Budding creatives are being encouraged to enter a design competition to help celebrate a Bury shopping destination’s milestone birthday.
This summer The Rock Shopping Centre is 15 and has launched a ‘Design a Birthday Card’ competition to mark the special occasion.
The competition runs from now until 31st May and 10 winning entries will go on display in The Rock’s Wall of Birthday Wishes installation in St John’s Square at The Rock from 7th July – 25th July
Each winning designer will be awarded with a £30 gift voucher to spend at The Rock and invited to see their design on display at The Rock’s birthday event.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “This year is a milestone for The Rock and we wanted to include the community at the heart of our celebrations. The Wall of Birthday Wishes aims to celebrate creatives in Bury and we can’t wait to see the submissions. I’m sure we’ll have a tough job selecting the final 10 winners and we encourage everyone to get involved.”
Entry forms can be downloaded from The Rock’s website or collected from retailers including The Entertainer, Bob and Berts, Smiggle and Starbucks.
Submissions can be emailed to [email protected] or posted in The Rock’s competition post box which will be in St John’s Square (near The Range) every day until the competition closes on 31st May 2025.
The competition is open to all.
For more information and to download an entry form visit: www.therockbury.com
FAMILIES visiting The Rock Shopping Centre this Easter will be able enjoy FREE circus school skills workshops.
The shopping and leisure destination will unveil its bunny-themed circus installation on Saturday (5th April).
Located in the space in front of The Range, the three-sided Bunny Funhouse will be in place for the length of the Easter holidays for families to enjoy.
Side one will feature a ‘bunny head’ tunnel to crawl through, side two is an oversized hoop-la with cut out carrots, bunnies and Easter eggs and the final side is an egg swing – perfect for those Easter snaps.
The Rock hosted a Circus Fun House complete with workshops in the summer of 2023 which proved hugely popular with families. The original funhouse has been repurposed and redesigned for Easter 2025.
On three days during half term, children can take part in circus school workshops, led by bunny characters.
The classes are as follows:
Wednesday 9th April – Plate spinning
Wednesday 16th April – Diabolo
Saturday 19th April – Stilt walking
Circus School sessions start at 11am and run every 30 minutes. Each session will last approximately 20 minutes and the last session is at 2:30pm.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “The last time we hosted circus workshops, each session was packed out and visitors returned week after week to complete all the classes. We’re delighted to be bringing the circus back, complete with an Easter-twist and we’re sure it’ll be really popular with families looking for free, fun activities during the school holidays.”
A SPECIAL tree filled with messages celebrating mums from across Bury was unveiled at The Rock Shopping Centre ahead of Mother’s Day.
The shopping and leisure destination gathered dozens of ‘Messages to Mum’ from social media in recent weeks and displayed them at the centre.
The Mother’s Day Tree was in The Rock’s main square near The Range and Costa and aimed to be a live expression of thanks and gratitude.
On Saturday 29th March visitors to the centre were encouraged to add a message to the tree to celebrate their mum, mums they know or other special mum-like figures. Anyone adding a message on this day also received a small bunch of daffodils.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “We know there’s many tree-mendous mums in Bury and this installation is all about them.”
Look out for our Romantic Roller Skaters this Valentine’s weekend – they’ll be spreading the LOVE!
On Friday 14th and Saturday 15th February at intervals between 11am and 3pm our gameshow host will don the suit of love and hit the mall with our floral-themed roller skaters to show customers some love.
There’ll be plenty of chances to take part in our gameshow and if you answer a question correctly you’ll be rewarded with a token of love from The Rock and its retailers.
HUNDREDS of people gathered at The Rock Shopping Centre for a community concert which saw the Christmas lights switched on by four local heroes.
Gill Smith, the founder of Radcliffe Litter Pickers, David Yates, Headteacher at Tottington High School, and Jennifer Hindle and Jennifer Heywood of Topping Fold Community Centre, were chosen to turn on the Christmas lights following The Rock’s campaign to find local heroes for the job.
The concert took place on Saturday 9th November, running from 3pm-5pm. The shopping centre joined forces with Roch Valley Radio to pull together the special festive event which brought the people of Bury together.
The event featured groups from the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop, Bury Music Service and performers who have been supported by Liv’s Trust. The Rock’s partner charity Secret Garden – Hoyles Park attended and ran a teddy tombola and glitter tattoo station which raised £392 for the cause.
The concert took place on a stage in St John’s Square, in front of The Range.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock said: “This year’s Christmas concert was all about shining a spotlight on the people of Bury. From our local heroes to our local talent, our switch on was a great day showcasing the very best of Bury. The event was a huge success and really does kick start of the Christmas trading period for The Rock. We are so grateful to everyone who was involved and helped make the day a success.”
The switch on event was free to attend and marks the beginning of the Christmas season for The Rock. The shopping centre has already announced it will host a FREE Santa’s Grotto from 30th November and the Rock Express land train will return in December.
Kenji marks 10th anniversary with new store at The Rock
East-Asian-inspired lifestyle brand, KENJI, is set to mark its 10th anniversary with the grand opening of a brand-new permanent store at The Rock Shopping Centre this Christmas season with the creation of 10 new jobs.
Located on Central Street within The Rock, the store will open this November, with the official launch date to be confirmed. The new store design draws inspiration from the upcoming KENJILAND app, featuring a vibrant and immersive retail environment that will introduce a fresh concept to the shopping centre.
This opening coincides with KENJI’s decade in business, with the brand’s very first store launching in Bury in 2015. In celebration of this milestone, both stores in The Rock and Mill Gate will be open and trade through the Christmas period, offering shoppers even more opportunities to explore KENJI’s unique collections.
Known for its stylish and contemporary offerings, KENJI provides a wide range of designer homewares, kitchenwares, stationery, and fashion accessories.
Eddie Shepherd, Managing Director of KENJI said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating our 10th anniversary with the opening of a larger store with a broader product offer at The Rock in Bury. This new store’s creative inspiration is derived from our upcoming KENJILAND app, showcases our passion for innovation, and reaffirms our confidence in the centre as the premier shopping destination in Bury. As we look to the future, this store represents the next chapter in our journey, and we can’t wait to share it with the community during the festive season.”
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, added: “KENJI has a very exciting offer which we think will be hugely popular with our visitors. We look forward to the store opening ahead of the busy Christmas trading period and wish the team all the success. We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate their 10th anniversary with the opening of a store at The Rock.”
A STEAK restaurant which promises ‘a unique eating experience’ will open at The Rock Shopping and Leisure Centre this autumn.
The Firepit will open in at The Rock next month, creating 25 jobs in the town.
The restaurant, which also has branches in neighbouring Rawtenstall and Blackburn will open in the former Frankie and Benny’s unit at the centre.
Founded in Rawtenstall in 2014, The Firepit’s signature dish is steak-on-a-stone cooked at the table on a 350-degree lava rock, which holds its temperature to ensure it is done exactly to the customer’s liking.
The menu also includes burgers, hanging kebabs, vegetarian options, fish, salads and more.
Peter Novak founder of The Firepit said: “Opening a restaurant in Bury town centre has been an ambition of ours for a number of years and we are so excited to now be making that a reality. The Firepit is a firm favourite amongst many diners in Rawtenstall and Blackburn where we already have two restaurants, and we are looking forward to bringing that same dining experience to the people of Bury.”
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, added: “We are thrilled to be welcoming The Firepit to our exciting tenant mix. We know the group’s other restaurants in the region are very popular and we are sure that The Firepit will be a huge hit with our visitors.”
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