Matalan (Matalan)

Member Name: MEL0611

Product:	Matalan
Date:	13/09/09 (171 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great ranges, modern styles and trends. Affordable

Disadvantages: None that I have found

On a recent shopping trip with my sister I found myself wandering into our local Matalan store. Matalan is situated just outside of out town centre and therefore it is not often I find myself visiting there. My sister was popping in to the store, as she was desperate to find a pair of flip-flops that she had seen advertised in a magazine.

Matalan currently has over 190 stores; impressive as the first Matalan store was only opened in 1985 by John Hargreaves. Matalan's advertising campaign is that of having the stores based out of town, the overheads are slightly cheaper and therefore making the items sold in its stores that bit cheaper.

I have to admit it has been a whiles since I was last at the store, it is not really that far from where I live but when our Matalan opened I was a little put off, the shelves were not at their tidiest and the fashions were not that up to date and modern and I was not overly impressed by the home ware section. That was a few years ago now and I have to say on going in to the store, even on first impressions I was very impressed

LADIES WARE ~

The choice was fantastic and a lot better to what I remembered. As my sister was busy hunting for her flip-flops I was left to have a good old look through the rails. The choice on offer varied from office ware, casual ware, beachwear, nightwear, lingerie, I could go on. What I liked was that the quality of the clothing looked great.

I decided to try on a simple pair of black trousers (£14) and a casual top (£8), The trousers were a great fit and just right for my size, the top was very comfortable and as I did buy both these items I can now say how well they wash and they still look brand new. The swim ware had a large collection of the store and what I liked was that it catered for all sizes (6 to 22) In some shops the range is so small, 8 to 16 if that!

I even commented to my sister how pretty the dresses were and that if you were due to attend a wedding you could easily find something in the collections.

MENS WARE ~

After the trip with my sister my other half went in to pick up some new work shirts. This is most definitely a strong point of Matalan's men's ware range. You could buy a short-sleeved shirt and tie for the fantastic price of £7.00. This may seem cheap but seeing as how his shirts get covered in oil this was a price that he was happy to pay as there is only so often you can boil wash shirts, that said these shirts hold their colour, was and iron well and the tie's are modern and have a come in a good choice of colours.

The men's ware range also includes casual clothing, underwear, jeans and night ware.


CHILDRENS WARE ~

This is not a range that I have looked at much as I don't have any children of my own, however a friend at work has commented on the range saying it is reasonable and long lasting. In the store there seamed to be a wide range of choice from girls and boys fashions to school uniform items and newborn ranges.


HOME WARE ~

This is the range that has most improved in my opinion. The choice was great but also very on trend and up to date with modern trends. The home accessories section was great, from canvases to vases to candles, all within a reasonable price brand. The kitchen section offered great ideas with not only essential items but also funky looking salt and pepper mills and handy storage jars in baby pink.

The bedding also looked great. The colours on offer for duvets came in a good range from teals to crisp whites and I would definitely consider going to Matalan to look for any bedding in the future. You could buy king sized duvet sets for £12.00, bargain! I also noticed that towels came in great colours as well so for anyone jazzing up their bathroom this is the shop to visit.


ACCESSORIES ~

The store also offers costume jewellery, luggage sections and 'seasonal items'. When I went in this was picnic and barbeque items. There are also a small section of children's toys and books but this was small in comparison to other sections within the shop. Celebrities such as Anthea Turner, Katie Price and Linda Barker also endorse some of the ranges. The store really has gone up in my estimations.

To purchase any goods from Matalan you need a 'Matalan Card'. If you don't have one they are available at customer services and all you need to do is fill out your name on a form and sign the back of the card and you are ready to go shop!

I will definitely be paying a visit to the shop again, whether it is for clothes or home ware ranges, there really are some fantastic buys to be found. 5 Dooyoo stars from me!

Thanks for reading.

Summary: Go have a trip today, highly recomended.