London is one of the
great shopping cities, with over 30,000 retail outlets dotted across
the capital (3,000 of which in Central London alone). Typically
for London, areas of the city have their own shopping characters.
In the west, The King’s Road in Chelsea,
SW1, has a long-standing reputation for fashion, although is now
mainly high-street chains, while the Notting Hill
area is now also very popular for fashion boutiques, in particular
along Westbourne Grove and Ledbury
Road, W11. In the east, the Brick Lane
area, E1 and E2, has long been home to up-and-coming fashion designers’
studios but area is really taking off, with many designers opening
shops alongside shops selling vintage furniture, second-hand clothes,
design objects and other quirky finds (Cheshire Street
is especially good for this).
More centrally, Oxford Street (the busiest shopping
street in Europe, with over 200 million visitors a year and a turnover
of £5 billion) and Regent Street, W1, attract
of shoppers to well-known high-street clothing shops and megastores,
including Hamley’s toy emporium, 188-196 Regent Street. Department
stores (such as the enormous and trendy Selfridges, the reliable
Marks & Spencer, and the back-to-basics John Lewis) are mostly
located along Oxford Street, although the high-fashion Liberty is
just down Regent Street.
Tottenham Court Road,
WC1, is lined with electrical shops, while south, Charing
Cross Road, WC2, has long been the centre for bookshops
in London, with second-hand shops and bigger chains. London’s
largest bookshop, Waterstones, is situated on Piccadilly,
W1. Covent Garden, WC2, is one of the more popular
shopping areas. Its Piazza, once the site of the fruit and vegetable
market, is now filled with specialist shops, cafés and street
performers, while Floral Street is home to clothes
shops and Neal Street trendy shoe shops.
Old and New Bond Streets, W1,
are home to the flagship stores for international designers, such
as Prada and Gucci, with nearby Conduit Street
providing a home to off-the-wall designers, such as Issey Miyake
and Vivien Westwood.
Visitors looking for a gift that is representative of London need
look no further than the tacky shops and souvenir stalls that line
Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus
and other tourist-attracting areas. Passers-by are assaulted with
all manner of kitsch, cute and colourful souvenirs, toys and clothes
(mostly sporting a Union Jack or member of the royal family). Harrods,
Knightsbridge, SW1, sells more upmarket souvenirs
and attracts huge numbers of tourists and locals every year, with
its legendary sales and food hall. Another place for typical British
food stuffs as gifts is Fortnum and Mason, on Piccadilly,
W1, a classic from the early 20th century.
The vast market at Camden Lock, Chalk Farm Road,
NW1, is one of the city’s top attractions, open daily but
primarily Saturday and Sunday.
Visitors also flock to the antiques and flea market on the Portobello
Road, W10, on Friday and Saturday. In the East End, Sunday
markets sell everything from fruit and vegetables to jewellery and
junk, such as Petticoat Lane and Brick Lane, E1,
open 09:00-14:00 and 06:00-13:00 respectively, as well as the Sunday
morning flower market at Columbia Road, E2.
Antiques are available on Camden Passage, Islington,
N1, on Wednesday and Saturday, and Greenwich Market,
SE10, on Saturday and Sunday.
One of the most wonderful places for shoppers to explore for mainly
20th-century antiques is the massive maze of Alfie’s
Antique Market, 13-25 Church Street, NW8, open Tuesday
to Saturday. For foodies, Borough Market, SE1,
is still the best, open Friday and Saturday, while, Brixton
Market, Electric Avenue, SW9, offers the biggest selection
of Caribbean food in Europe, open every day except Friday.
Standard shopping hours are Monday to Saturday 09:30-18:00,
although some shops stay open as late as 20:00. Shops rarely close
for lunch and many are now also open 12:00-18:00 on Sunday. Late-night
opening (usually until 20:00) is on Thursday in the West End and
Wednesday in the Knightsbridge area. |
