Caffè Nero has now officially opened at The Rock.

Caffè Nero Group Ltd was founded in 1997 and is currently the largest independent coffee retailer in the UK, with over 360 Caffe Nero stores from Brighton to Glasgow. Caffe Nero provide a European style coffee house experience offering premium espresso-based gourmet coffee, authentic Italian food products and a relaxing atmosphere in every store.

You can find them on the corner of St John’s Square next to H&M.

Shoppers visiting The Rock Shopping Centre had to look twice when they spotted live mannequins in the shop windows…

We held a two-day ‘Fashion Through The Glass’ event where shop window mannequins were swapped for models showcasing the hottest autumn trends.

Shows took place on Friday 22^nd  and Saturday 23^rd September and were held to inspire shoppers updating their wardrobes ready for the autumn and winter months.

Retailers including M&S, River Island, Primark, Vanilla, FME, Superdry and Blue Inc took part in the shows.

Arnold Wilcox-Wood, centre director of The Rock, said: “We’re always thinking of new ways to engage with our shoppers and support our retailers and this is the perfect event to do both. This activation was a great way to turn customers’ heads and encourage them to hit the shops.”

Hundreds of people are expected to descend on Bury for the town’s first ever Comic Con event next month.

Organised by the town’s BID, Bury Comic Con, will take place on Sunday 29^th October at various locations across the town centre.

Pop culture superfans will have a chance to get up close to comic artists, TV stars and props inspired by Doctor Who, Jurassic Park, Transformers and all of your favourite superheroes.

The event will take place across the town with host venues including The Rock, The Mill Gate, The Fusilier Museum, Bury Art Museum, The Hops, The Bank and Rayners.

Among the anticipated events scheduled are appearances from actors Colin Baker (Doctor Who), Kai Owen (Torchwood), Willie Copen (Star Wars) and George Copen (Willow).

Budding young artists will be encouraged to ‘complete the comic’ competition and adults and kids alike can showcase their costume talents in the cosplay competitions.

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming the Comic Con audience to Bury town centre and showcasing all that the town has to offer. This is a great opportunity to get involved and have fun, “ said Louise Jackson from Wax and Beans.

There will be several exciting traders completing the line-up with many of the towns businesses also gearing up to celebrate all things Comic Con with exclusive offers.

Families visiting The Rock this summer will be able enjoy free circus school skills workshops.

We have unveiled our Circus House of Fun installation which will be in situ all month.

Located in the space in front of The Range, the installation features a room of wacky mirrors, a clown themed tunnel of laughter and a hoop throwing game. It’s free for everyone to enjoy every day.

Plus, on Wednesdays from now until 23^rd August children can take part in Circus School and learn a new skill every week, the classes will include plate spinning, stilts, juggling and diabolo.

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.

This week visitors were able to take part in plate spinning workshops and dozens of children attended throughout the day.

Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director, said: “We wanted to do something completely different this summer and we’re so excited to bring circus skills to The Rock. All of the activity is free for our visitors. We know it can be hard finding something fun and free for the children to do in the summer holidays, but with a different skill to learn each week The Rock is the place to be. Children will be given a report card to have stamped each week and those who complete at least three sessions will be awarded with a Circus School certificate.”

Shoppers enjoyed pampering treatments at The Rock – all in aid of a good cause.

The Rock Shopping Centre hosted its Beauty Rocks event on Friday 7th July – Sunday 9th of July and visitors were able to enjoy complimentary treatments including manicures, hairstyling, and makeup makeovers.

Housed in a marquee in front of The Range, the activity also raised funds for the national One Great Day campaign which will see the donations split between Jigsaw Bury and Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.

The fundraising drive was given a boost on Saturday (8th July) when cos play group the 5th Legion attended and wowed visitors with their show stopping costumes whilst collecting for the cause.

In total both elements of the activity raised £713.59 for the two charities, the funds will be split equally.

Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “Our Beauty Rocks event proved to be hugely popular with our visitors over the three days. The beauty teams used products from stores at The Rock, including M&S, Primark and Lush. One lucky winner also won a voucher for Urban Radiance Clinic which opened at the end of May.

“It was great to see so many people getting involved with having a pamper treatment whilst enjoying their weekend shopping trip – we know that times are tough right now, so we hope the small treat went a long way, it was also the perfect opportunity for us to raise some funds for charity.

“We must also pay a special thank you to the 5^th Legion who were a big hit with our visitors – they collected £454 of the event’s total fundraising. Thank you to everyone who donated.”

For more information please contact Laura Beal on 0161 763 0716 or [email protected]

A charity set up in the memory of a Bury teenager killed in the Manchester Arena bombing has been chosen as The Rock’s new charity of choice.

Liv’s Trust CIO, created in memory of 15-year-old Olivia Campbell Hardy, was the charity which received the most votes in the shopping centre’s bid to find a new charity of choice for 2023/24.

Olivia was a talented ballroom and Latin dancer and singer who wanted to teach. The charity is her living legacy. It provides help for young people in higher education in performing arts, music and dance.

The Rock’s Centre Director, Arnold Wilcox-Wood said: “Over the past few weeks we held a public vote via our website. Almost 1,000 votes were cast and Liv’s Trust CIO is the cause which received the highest number of public votes.

“Our new partnership with the charity will begin from July 1^st and we’re very much looking forward to working together to raise funds in Olvia’s memory.”

The charity was launched by Olivia’s grandfather, Steven Goodman, he said: “We are delighted to be chosen as The Rock’s charity of choice. Music and dance are so good for young people’s wellbeing.

“We hope the exposure we get from being The Rock’s charity of choice will help us support more young people across the borough. To Olivia music was her everything.”

The Rock’s partnership with Jigsaw Bury will conclude at the end of June.

Arnold added: “We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Jigsaw over the past year, thank you also to our shoppers who have been so generous with their donations to the cause over this time and to our retailers for getting on board with any fundraising events we have held. We wish Jigsaw the best of luck going forward.”

A MAJOR lingerie retailer is set to open at The Rock Shopping Centre in Bury this summer.

Ann Summers will open on Thursday 6^th July at the shopping and leisure destination.

The retailer, which specialises in lingerie and adult toys, will occupy the former Paperchase unit on Central Street.

An Ann Summers spokesperson said: “We’re excited to open our new store at The Rock Shopping Centre in Bury and to expand our portfolio of locations in the Greater Manchester area. We are so proud of our fantastic summer product ranges and we’re looking forward to sharing them with Bury shoppers.”

The chain is the latest of a number of brands to join the tenant mix at The Rock in recent months. The centre has recently welcomed Vanilla, Skechers, Kaspa’s Desserts, Shoezone and Urban Radiance.

Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, said: “Ann Summers will be a great addition to our tenant mix, it’s the sixth new store to open at The Rock in as many months and we wish the new team every success here.”

A clinic specialising in face, hand, hair and body rejuvenation has opened its doors at The Rock Shopping Centre.

Urban Radiance, at 114 The Rock, has been opened by Teresa Solarczyk Burke, with a focus on helping clients slow down the ageing process.

The clinic officially opened on Friday (26^th May) and is running a number of special opening offers across its facials, vitamin injections and anti-wrinkle treatments.

Teresa said: “I am so excited to see my dream of opening my own clinic become a reality, I have always been so interested in skin care and I have worked hard to learn and understand exactly what my clients need. I am proud to be working with and stocking Million Dollar Facial products.”

The 57-year-old from Bury worked in customer service for a number of years before retraining in this field. The clinic will be open seven days a week and is appointment only.

Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Urban Radiance to The Rock and wish Teresa well in her new venture.”