Rochdale Riverside Turns Five – And You’re Invited to the Party!

Posted by on 14 Mar 2025

Rochdale Riverside is thriving at five! The popular retail and leisure destination is celebrating its 5th year in style with recent new store openings and exciting expansions, plus a birthday bash on 5th April—and you’re invited!

Opening in 2020 amidst the challenges of the COVID outbreak, Rochdale Riverside has gone from strength to strength. Five years on, it’s a bustling shopping and leisure hub, attracting top brands, food hotspots, and thousands of visitors each week.

And the momentum isn’t slowing down! Two big-name brands have recently joined the Riverside family in Holland & Barrett and Taco Bell.

And it’s not just new stores making headlines! Greggs has upsized its store, proving that business is booming at Rochdale Riverside. Footfall and car park usage are also up, showing that shoppers can’t get enough of this growing retail destination.

With just one unit left available, Rochdale Riverside is proving itself as a go-to shopping hotspot, home to M&S, Next, H&M, River Island, Boots, JD Sports and more, alongside leisure favourites Reel Cinema and Putt & Play from Hollywood Bowl.

Councillor Danny Meredith, cabinet member for regeneration at Rochdale Borough Council, said; “Rochdale Riverside is a real success story and I’m delighted to see how popular it is with our residents and visitors. It’s gone from strength to strength since opening five years ago and it’s now a vital part of our newly regenerated town centre.”

Let’s Celebrate – Join the Party on 5th April.

To mark the occasion, Rochdale Riverside is throwing free birthday activities on Saturday, 5th April, from 11am-2pm, including a host of stalls, face painting and Princess & Superhero character Meet & Greet – The perfect chance for little ones to snap a magical photo!

It’s not just the centre celebrating—Rochdale Riverside is recognising the fantastic stores and teams that make the shopping experience so special with a Best Store Award up for grabs.

Have your say! From 1st March to 1st April, cast your vote for your favourite store via the Rochdale Riverside website. Everyone who votes will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 gift card to spend at Rochdale Riverside.

Rachel Byrne, Centre Manager at Rochdale Riverside shared her excitement:

“We’re incredibly proud of how Rochdale Riverside has flourished over the last five years. With fantastic new brands, strong retailer success, and a loyal community of shoppers, we look forward to even more exciting years ahead!”

For more details and to vote in the Store Awards, visit rochdaleriverside.com