This blog post was updated on September 5, 2018.
Hit the “high streets” of London any given day of the week and you’d be right to reckon that shopping is a national pastime here. The Brits do shopping exceptionally well and with a bit of aplomb. Some of the biggest, glitziest and most celebrated department stores in the world call London home. Here’s a list of the best of the best, some of which are major tourist destinations in and of themselves.
Fenwick of Bond Street
63 New Bond Street, W1A 3BS
Nearest Tube is at Bond Street Station
One of Britain’s most historic department stores on the perennially fashionable Bond Street, Fenwick features five floors of womenswear, menswear, beauty and home accessories with services including personal shopping and a spa.
Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly, W1A 1ER
Nearest Tube is at Piccadilly Circus Station
Open since 1707, this luxury goods provider offers a historic setting for shopping in true British style. Originally a grocery, with food still one of its main focus points, Fortnum & Mason takes great pride is establishing direct connections with its many suppliers with fresh food being sourced from British growers or “as close to these Isles as possible.”
Harrods
87–135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL
Nearest Tube is at Knightsbridge Station
For the sheer wow factor scale of it, a visit to this fabled department store cannot be beat. The five acre Harrods has more than 350 departments, six food halls, more than 30 restaurants and eateries and all in all more than a million square feet of retail space. It’s also home to the “Dodi and Diana” memorial and the world’s only “Egyptian Escalator.”
Harvey Nichols
109-125 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RJ
Nearest Tube is at Knightsbridge Station
Harrods may be home of the “Dodi and Diana” memorial but it’s widely acknowledged that Princess Diana’s favourite place to shop was just up the street at Harvey Nichols. Known colloquially as “Harvey Nicks” this eight storey department store is a haven for the ultra chic and designer brand conscious shopper. But even fashionistas have to take a break and eat sometime. Luckily the store’s famed fifth floor is dedicated only to trendy items of the edible and drinkable variety.
John Lewis
Throughout London
The John Lewis flagship is at 300 Oxford Street with another five associated stores in Greater London including the latest in Stratford which in addition to the retail therapy offers commanding view of the London 2012 Olympic Park. “Never knowingly undersold” is the John Lewis policy. But it’s not just bargain hunters shopping here. John Lewis holds the Royal Warrant to be the “suppliers of haberdashery and household goods” to the Queen.
Liberty
Regent Street, W1B 5AH with the main entrance located on Great Marlborough Street
Nearest Tube is at Oxford Circus Station
As famous for its Tudor revival exterior as it is for its ultra stylish take on contemporary fashions, Liberty has been a “destination of choice for the savvy and sophisticated shopper” since 1875. Or as Liberty fan Oscar Wilde put it, “the chosen resort of the artistic shopper.” One especially artistic stockist, Manolo Blahnik likes selling his shoes here as “the store is so beautiful and its history is so rich.”
Selfridges
400 Oxford Street, W1A 1AB
Nearest Tube is at Bond Street Station
Recognized by many as the place in London to have the ultimate shopping experience, Selfridges is the largest department store located along the shopping mecca that is Oxford Street and is one of the largest shops in the whole of the UK, second only to Harrods in fact!
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