Must-see shopping in Great Britain

  • Swansea Market

    Swansea (Abertawe)

    There's been a covered market in Swansea since 1652 and at this site since 1830. Rebuilt in 1961 after being bombed in WWII, the current version is a…

  • Vivienne Westwood

    The West End

    The fashion doyenne of the punk and new-wave aesthetic, Westwood has always had a reputation for being controversial and political. She continues to…

  • Camden Lock Market

    North London

    Right next to the canal lock, this section of Camden Market is the the place to go for diverse food stalls in the West Yard, as well as for several nice…

  • Cartmel Village Shop

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    This upmarket village shop developed the recipe for sticky toffee pudding – accept no substitute. You can buy it to cook at home and it also comes in…

  • Sounds of the Universe

    The West End

    Outlet of the Soul Jazz Records label: explorers of wild, wonderful and often forgotten corners of black music who bring back gems for their legendary…

  • Daunt Books

    The West End

    An original Edwardian bookshop, with oak panels, galleries and gorgeous skylights, Daunt is one of London’s loveliest bookshops. There are several Daunt…

  • Annie’s Vintage Costume & Textiles

    North London

    One of London’s most enchanting vintage shops, this high-end boutique has costumes to make you look like Greta Garbo. Many a famous designer has come here…

  • Jam

    South Cornwall

    Music aficionados mustn't miss Falmouth's finest record store, with a just-so selection of vinyl and CDs, leather sofas, magazines to browse and very…

  • Steckfensters

    Penzance

    A real dig-and-delve treasure trove, overflowing with all kinds of bric-a-brac, vintage clothes, retro lamps, secondhand vinyl and other bits of who-knows…

  • Fabric Sale at the Barras Market Place

    The Barras

    Glasgow

    Glasgow’s legendary weekend flea market, the Barras on Gallowgate, is a fascinating mixture of on-trend openings and working-class Glasgow. Genuine old…

  • Looking down Argyll Street to Liberty Department Store, West End.

    Liberty

    The West End

    One of London's most recognisable shops, Liberty department store has a white-and-wood-beam Tudor Revival facade that lures shoppers in to browse luxury…

  • Courtyard Dairy

    Yorkshire Dales National Park

    This cheesemongers and cafe in a huddle of old stone barns is the place to come for farmhouse cheeses in the Yorkshire Dales. Owners Andy and Kathy…

  • Fortune's Kippers

    Whitby

    Fortune's has been making kippers (smoked herring) at this little smokehouse since 1872, and still turns out some of Britain's best; they're on the…

  • Barras Art & Design

    Glasgow

    This workshop zone for artists and designers in the heart of the Barras has helped pep up the area and bring a new wave of folk in. It's a lovely covered…

  • Hamleys

    The West End

    The biggest and oldest toy emporium in the world, Hamleys houses six floors of fun for kids of all ages, from the basement's Star Wars and Harry Potter…

  • Five Leaves Bookshop

    Nottingham

    Opened as an extension of its own publishing imprint in 2013, this splendid independent bookshop is hidden down a passageway off Low Row. In addition to…

  • St Aidan's Winery

    Northumberland Coast

    Mead made on Lindisfarne by St Aidan's Winery to a traditional Roman recipe using locally drawn water and honey. Free tastings let you try its three…

  • Cheshire Oaks Outlet Centre

    Chester

    Britain's largest shopping outlet, Cheshire Oaks has 145 stores offering discounts of up to 60% on goods from previous seasons. The village layout means…

  • Stori

    Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)

    This cracking craft-beer shop takes localism very seriously, stocking an enormous range of North Welsh beers, and focusing on the stori (story) of their…

  • Bennetts

    The Midlands & the Marches

    Founded as an ironmongers in 1734 and still retaining an ironmongery today, Derby's historic department store has evolved over the centuries to sell…

  • Armstrong’s

    Old Town

    Armstrong’s is an Edinburgh fashion institution (established in 1840, no less), a quality vintage-clothes emporium offering everything from elegant 1940s…

  • Randall's Antique & Vintage Centre

    Glasgow

    This is a real treasure trove of the once loved, the tacky, the tawdry, the magnificent and the curious from the not-so-recent past. It's an excellent set…

  • Stockbridge Market

    Edinburgh

    On Sunday the local community's focus is Stockbridge Market, set in a leafy square next to the bridge that gives the district its name. Wares range from…

  • Palas Print

    Anglesey & the North Coast

    Everything you'd want from a local, indie bookshop, this little gem stocks English and Welsh books and CDs, with emphasis on local authors, Welsh folk,…

  • Drift

    South Devon

    This vinyl enthusiasts' emporium is a sign of Totnes' increasingly trendy credentials. Everything's brand new here (definitely no secondhand bargains to…

  • Crieff Food Company

    Lowland Perthshire & Kinross

    This food hall and delicatessen is a showcase for local producers, and it's a great place to stock up on Scottish delicacies such as Heather Hills honey,…

  • Totnes Good Food

    South Devon

    Once a month, one of Devon's biggest food markets takes over Totnes' central square. Expect more than 60 traders, selling everything from local meats,…

  • Topping & Co

    St Andrews

    As befits a university town, this is a classic old-school bookshop crammed floor to ceiling with a huge range of titles, with free tea and coffee,…

  • Shetland Craft Trail

    Shetland

    This association of handicrafts producers publishes a brochure detailing the places around the islands where you can stop to observe spinners, weavers and…

  • Gordon & MacPhail

    Moray

    Gordon & MacPhail is the world's largest specialist malt-whisky dealer. More than a century old and offering around 1000 different varieties, its Elgin…

  • Valvona & Crolla

    New Town

    The acknowledged queen of Edinburgh delicatessens, established during the 1930s, Valvona & Crolla is packed with Mediterranean goodies, including an…

  • Arran Art Trail

    Arran

    Arran is home to quite a few creatives making a wide variety of art and handicrafts. This trail maps out a couple of dozen studios that you can visit…

  • Oi Polloi

    Manchester

    Besides the impressive range of casual footwear, this hip boutique also stocks a huge range of designers including A Kind of Guise, LA Panoplie, Nudie…

  • Scrivener's Books & Bookbinding

    Peak District

    At this delightfully chaotic bookshop, sprawling over five floors, books are filed in piles and the Dewey system has yet to be discovered.

  • Grant & Cutler

    The West End

    The UK’s largest foreign-language bookseller with titles representing more than 100 languages is located on the 4th floor of Foyles.

  • Great Western Arcade

    Birmingham

    Topped with a glass roof, this tile-floored Victorian-era arcade is a jewel filled with mostly independent shops.

  • The central seating area of Boxpark in Croydon

    Boxpark

    London

    Hoping to replicate the success of its Shoreditch counterpart, Boxpark Croydon provides a much-needed cultural hub just a stone’s throw from East Croydon…

  • The frontage of Tooting Market, a South London shopping institution

    Tooting Market

    Brixton, Peckham & South London

    Despite facing potential demolition, this 90-year stalwart of the South London shopping scene continues to expand, most recently with a new area called…

  • Pickett

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    Walking into Pickett as an adult is a bit like walking into a sweet shop as a child: the exquisite leather goods are all so colourful and beautiful that…

  • Shops in the Morgan Quarter

    Morgan Quarter

    Cardiff

    Cardiff's oldest arcade (1858), the Royal, connects with the Morgan Arcade via a series of covered lanes, forming a ritzy shopping precinct called the…