FROM one point of view the opening of a £90 million shopping centre at the Lowry in Salford Quays is good news for the North-west region.

It will add to the attraction of the magnificent arts complex and help create a memorable day out, which will eventually take in the Imperial War Museum North on the other side of the Manchester Ship Canal.

The North-west will be on show to a significant chunk of the world during the Manchester Commonwealth Games next year and we should be non-parochial enough to recognise that this new development represents the latest stage in the region's fight to distance itself from the blight of industrial dereliction.

The prospect of up to 50 per cent off designer clothes at The Designer Outlet@ The Lowry will no doubt attract people from all over the North-west, including Bolton.

Unfortunately, it is likely to be another blow to a Bolton town centre already feeling the effects of rival destinations such as the Trafford Centre and Middlebrook.

Karen Wheeldon, Bolton's hard-working town centre manager, is understandably not best pleased. But she could well be right when she suggests that the Trafford Centre and the re-vitalised Manchester city centre will feel the effects more keenly.

Meanwhile, it is obvious to anybody walking around the town centre that there are many shops and units in need of tenants.

Karen Wheeldon is upbeat when she says suitable units are being sought for businesses interested in moving in to Bolton.

Those people who have the patience to learn the names of numerous varieties of coffee will be delighted, for instance, to know that Starbucks, the international coffee shop, could be coming to town.

But the problem seems to be that in-coming firms have difficulty in finding suitable units in the right locations.

We welcome any interest from out of town, of course, but we cannot help thinking that the town centre would benefit from the presence of more local entrepreneurs offering specialised products.

High property costs and traffic warden attrition clearly do not help.

Never mind, it will soon be Christmas.