Shopping in England is a highly recommended activity when visiting any of the main cities in the country. Whether you go to one of its many department stores, its old fashion shops or famous brand stores in the main streets of each city there is plenty to choose from. In recent decades have emerged several new and wonderful shopping malls in England and taking into account also the old ones have made a ranking with the best among all. We will tell you about the shops in each one, its design, leisure venues, restaurants and much more.
10. Liverpool One
The ranking of the best shopping malls in England will begin in the center of Liverpool, which is where Liverpool One is located. Since opening in 2008 it has become the best shopping destination in the city thanks to its modern design and shops such as John Lewis & Partners, Hugo Boss, Zara, & Other Stories, the official Liverpool FC store or the Waterstones book shop. In addition, if you want beauty products there is no better place than Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar that brings together the best brands of makeup and skin care products.
It is highly recommended that you stay to eat in this place since there are very good restaurants from where you can have great views of the famous Albert Dock. In addition to many other shops, there are also movie theaters, a mini golf and escape rooms. The area in which the shopping centre is located is magnificent, as it is very close to the main attractions in the city such as the Maritime Museum, the Titanic Memorial or the Museum of Liverpool. In addition Liverpool One is close to many places that Beatles fans will not want to miss as their statue or the Cavern Club.
9. Manchester Arndale
Located in Downtown Manchester, this is one of the must-see shopping malls in England. Manchester Arndale has a rather interesting history as besides being one of the largest in the country, it was one of the first modern shopping centers in the area. In addition, this place had tragic moments as it was the target of two terrorist attacks in the 90s. The second destroyed a part of the mall, but was rebuilt soon after and thanks to other expansions and renovations, is better than ever.
It is very easy to reach as it is on one of the most popular streets in Manchester: the Market Street. There are more than 200 shops and restaurants in its different areas among which we highlight Kurt Geiger, Next, Uniqlo, Superdry and the Apple Store. Right next door are two other major department stores, Selfridges and Marks & Spencer, which you can access directly from the mall via a bridge. Also within walking distance is New Cathedral Street, home to the famous luxury department store Harvey Nichols as well as other fashion brands including Burberry, Zara, Paul Smith and Ralph Lauren.
8. Bluewater
With 3 floors and over 300 stores, Bluewater is one of the shopping centers you should visit if you are in Dartford, east of London. It is not very old, as it has been open since 1999 being a success from the beginning. It has even had several expansions to compete with other large shopping malls in London such as those belonging to the Westfield group. Their retail offer is downright spectacular as you can visit great department stores such as John Lewis and House of Fraser or famous fashion brands such as Massimo Dutti, Lacoste, Ted Baker, Urban Outfiters and the Hamleys toy store.
As with others of the best shopping malls in England that we will introduce you in this list, Bluewater has several entertainment and leisure places that the whole family will like. For example, for children there is a big interactive play area (themed with dinosaurs), a minigolf or they can also have fun in the trampoline park. Another of its best attractions is Hangloose Adventure where kids and adults can spend a great time on a swing at more than 50 meters high, or hop on its zip wire where you will see the amazing views that are in the area.
7. Bullring
In Birmingham you can also find one of the best shopping malls in England. The Bullring combines the city’s ancient architecture with the ultra-modern design of the Selfridges department store, the largest in the centre. It has this name since many years ago, in the area was practiced an ancient sport involving bulls. There are two shopping centers in the area as in addition to the main one there is also the Grand Central, you will not have a problem to visit them since both are connected by a bridge.
As we said before, Selfridges is the main store of this place and where you can find the latest fashions from the most recognized brands in the world. There are many other fashions stores you can go to in Bullring and Grand Central like Coach, H&M (there are also Arket and COS, their sister brands), Diesel, Hobbs and Michael Kors. You can also buy movies, shirts and collectible items at the HMV store, fragrances at Jo Malone or bath & body care products in Molton Brown.
6. Bicester Village
Bicester Village is a beautiful open-air shopping centre where you can get great deals on your favorite fashion brands. It is really a dream come true for all shopaholics in England as there are almost 200 stores including quite a few high-end brands. It is an excellent option and you should not miss visiting if you want to buy luxury brands clothing and accessories since here you can get great discounts.
Off-White, Valentino, Loewe, Fendi, Dior and Gucci are just some of the boutiques in this amazing place. You can also shop at other famous stores such as Furla, Kenzo, Isabel Marant, Paul Smith and Acne Studios. If you want to live a VIP experience, you can hire a personal shopper that will help you choose the clothes for your ideal look. Although it will take a while, you can get to Bicester Village by train from London as there is a Chiltern Railways station a few steps away from this shopping centre.
5. London Designer Outlet
In case you do not have much time to go to Bicester Village, there is another outlet with a better location. London Designer Outlet earns a place on our list of the best shopping malls in England not only for its good shopping, but because it is located right next to the world famous Wembley Stadium. You can’t compare it in number of stores with the other outlet, but there are several interesting places.
One of them is the Marks & Spencer outlet store. It is one of the most famous stores in the country and here you can take advantage of their offers to get even better prices. You can also go to the outlet store of the famous accessories brand Kurt Geiger, buy sportswear at Nike or Adidas, or visit other famous brands such as Replay and Superdry or the menswear store Moss Bross.
4. Westfield Stratford City
The 2012 Olympic Games brought many new things to London, including a huge shopping mall. Right next to Olympic Park you can go to Westfield Stratford City, one of the largest shopping malls in England. Like other developments in the area, this center opened in 2011 just before the sporting event where the city was visited by millions of people from around the world. Now, a decade later, it’s still very popular with over 200 stores.
There’s everything from a supermarket and discount stores to premium fashion stores. Their great variety of shops includes Uniqlo, the Lego Store, Marks & Spencer, H&M and Coach. That’s not all because you can also go shopping in Lacoste, Dr. Martens, Primark or The White Company. There are even two hotels in its facilities. Good restaurants are here too where you can eat great food at The Cow, burgers at Five Guys, mexican cuisine at Wahaca or middle eastern plates at Lokma.
3. MetroCentre
Everything you want to buy can be found at MetroCentre. It is located southwest of Newcastle and is the second largest in size in the entire country. The number of stores they have is impressive and include Next, Jack & Jones, H&M Home, Zara and the TK Maxx discount store. Harrods is one of the most famous department stores in the world, and although it has only one store in London, it also has a presence in this big shopping centre. Not as a complete store but with its H Beauty concept where you can buy fragrances, make-up and skin care products from a large number of brands.
Shopping is not the only thing that you can do here, since there are many places to relax and also have fun. You can go bowling, watch a movie, play in their amazing Angry Birds themed mini-golf, go climbing or even play bingo. If you prefer, there is also a wide variety of options to dine or have a drink. There are places like Clyde’s where you can eat a burger while you watch a sports game or go to Toby Carvery for a buffet-style meal.
2. Trafford Centre
Trafford Centre is not your regular shopping centre. Not only does it have almost 200 shops, but its design is really spectacular. Located in Manchester this mall is really amazing, and in addition to being able to shop in your favorite shops you can admire its incredible central dome, grandiose chandeliers and the numerous sculptures that are all over the place. Headlined by Selfridges & John Lewis, the quality of the rest of its stores is not far behind, as are shops such as Untuckit, Abercrombie & Fitch, Michael Kors and River Island.
Another place not to be missed is The Orient. It’s simply the most impressive food court you’ve ever been to. Its design simulates that you are eating on a boat (it has even won prizes) and you will have more than 35 options to choose from. Such a large mall also has to have places for children to have fun and here they can go to play laser tag in Laser Quest or go to Namco Funscape which besides bowling lines has dozens of arcade games and more.
1. Westfield London
And with the number 1 in our ranking we have the place that is not only the largest of all the shopping malls in England, but all over Europe. Westfield London is one of the shopping centers you should visit at least once in a lifetime for its impressive size and good architectural design. There are from fast fashion brands to the best in luxury fashion. We’ll start with the luxury retailers you’ll see here, including Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton as well as British high-end brands like Burberry and the Church’s shoe store.
Their retail offer does not stay there, as in this shopping center located near the Kensington Palace are also Club Monaco, Zadig & Voltaire, Hackett, Longchamp, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Furla and the House of Fraser department store. To rest a little during your shopping day, it is advisable to take a break and have dinner in one of its restaurants, although you probably have some problem to choose where to go since there are more than 30. If you go with children, they can go to Kidzania where they will live an interactive experience in a mini city made specifically for them.