Shopping in London
Fortnum & Mason
This upper class store was founded by one of Queen Anne‘s entrepreneurial footmen in 1707, who sold spare royal candle wax to set up shop. Historically, the store has royal approval, and has held a number of royal warrants personally approved by a member of the royal family. By the 1800s, Fortnum & Mason was firmly established as London‘s major supplier of exotic and fine foods, and is still a specialist in caviar, cheese, chocolate and sweets, teas and coffees from around the world, as well as wine and spirits and hampers. There‘s a quirky department devoted to food oddities with interesting histories such as Pusser‘s Dark Navy Marmalade (£5.90 a jar) which was created to commemorate Nelson‘s victory over the French at Trafalgar. Caviar starts at £12.95 a jar and pates at £4.95 a jar. Kids can be entertained at special storytelling afternoons (book in advance), and there are three civilised restaurants.
Harrods
Famously opulent Harrods actually has more humble beginnings – it was originally a wholesale grocer in London‘s East End in the 1830s. It moved to larger premises 20 years later in Knightsbridge (where it remains to this day) after which it broadened its remit considerably. Having changed hands several times, Harrods is now owned by the Al Fayed family, and still stocks anything and everything on its seven floors. Departments include fashion, food and drink, children‘s clothes and toys, sports equipment and home furnishings. Harrods is not as expensive as you might think, with Harrods towels starting at £3, Harrods pocket address books from £7 and charm key-rings for £12. At the other end of the scale, however, it stocks designer clothes and jewellery at astronomical prices. Harrods has a staggering 28 restaurants offering a la carte to oysters and champagne. There are six family friendly eateries including Planet Harrods and Mo‘s Diner.
Harvey Nichols
Borne out of a Sloane Square linen shop in 1813, Harvey Nichols is now the toast of the privileged classes and continues to expand across the UK and internationally with stores in Edinburgh, Leeds, Riyadh, Dubai and Hong Kong. Wallets are emptied in men‘s and women‘s fashion and accessory departments, a foodhall, a furniture emporium and beauty hall. Stocking many limited-edition items, the store is proud of its exclusive image and is aimed at a wealthier crowd. This is where Anya Hindmarch Pablo Logo travelbags sell for £345, Chanel limited-edition compacts from £22 and Culti sofas for close to £4,700. The famous fifth floor hosts a restaurant, cafe and bar where London‘s ‘ladies who lunch‘, well, lunch. Bookings can be made online in advance and it now has introduced a special, healthy children‘s range. Personal shoppers are available by appointment, and there‘s a Daniel Hersheson Salon on the fourth floor should your require some serious pampering.
House of Fraser
With more than 61 outlets, House of Fraser is one of the UK‘s biggest department store chains. Most of these trade as House of Fraser, but Army & Navy, Binns, Dickins & Jones, Dingles, and Rackhams are also owned by the chain. They‘re hot on fashion clothing, make-up and homewares and also stock big-name electrical goods, accessories and food. Prices are very competitive: perfume gift sets from brands such as Benefit and Stella McCartney start at £25, Gaggia coffee makers start from £135 and DKNY bags retail at £59.99. Some branches of House of Fraser have mother and baby rooms for changing and feeding. Other facilities include a free courier service within the Square Mile (City store only), complimentary personal shoppers and an alterations service. The Oxford Street and Victoria branches have restaurants.
John Lewis
John Lewis opened his first store on Oxford Street in 1864 and in 1905 bought his second store, Peter Jones, in Sloane Square. By 1999 there were 25 John Lewis department stores across the UK, and it‘s safe to say that the brand now has an enviable reputation in the UK. The company has an interesting mission statement, too, which states that ‘the happiness of its members‘ is the partnership‘s ultimate purpose, presumably reasoning that happy workers equals happy shoppers. And happy they usually are, thanks to a huge range of departments including audio and TV, computing, electrical, fashion, beauty, furniture, home and garden, nursery, sports and toys. Prices aren‘t cheap but John Lewis has a strong reputation for customer service and stocking quality brands. The stores typically have two cafes to choose from and there are baby-changing facilities.
Liberty
The aesthetically pleasing Liberty store began trading in 1875, selling ornaments, fabric and objects of art from the Orient. Founded by Arthur Liberty, who opened the shop thanks to a £2,000 loan, the store used to occupy a house on Regent Street, where it now fills two properties, which are joined by a walkway. Arthur Liberty‘s idea was to bring beautiful things to ordinary people, and he duly sourced fabrics and fine goods from Java, Persia and India. Today, the store offers gorgeous stationery, accessories, homewares, and men‘s and women‘s designer clothing, with prices perhaps not so accessible to ‘ordinary people‘ any more. The beauty range has the most reasonably priced stock, with soaps and potions retailing at £4/£5 upwards. There‘s a tea room on the ground floor, and also the boutiquey Art Bar Cafe where furniture is eclectic and some of the pieces can be found for sale in-store. Other facilities include a gift-wrapping service, florist and personal shopping. There is also a Liberty concession in Terminal 3 of Heathrow Airport.
Selfridges
Selfridges opened in 1909, and has been credited with putting Oxford Street on the world retail map. Back then it had a Silence Room with a sign reading: ‘Ladies will refrain from conversation!‘. These days it‘s a rather more laidback and carefree affair and sells high-street and designer fashion for women, men and children who are freely allowed to converse. There is an excellent cosmetics floor, as well as homewares, electricals and gourmet food departments. Prices are reasonable given the high quality: Goldstar baby boots sell for £20 and Rimowa luggage starts at £380. But a trip to Selfridges isn‘t just about shopping. Here, you can have your nails done, get your bike repaired, get your ears pierced or book a trip to the theatre. There are also five stylish cafes, three bars, four restaurants and several snack bars. There‘s a baby change area, and a Santa‘s grotto at Christmas too. Look out for Selfidges‘ spectacular Christmas-themed windows and regular events, including live music.
ASDA
ASDA‘s marketing campaigns always focus on value for money, and its known for offering money-saving deals on good quality food. The ‘ASDA Price‘ promotion gives you selected goods at very low prices while stock levels last, while ‘multisave‘ allows you to buy more than one of an item and get discounts. ASDA also has a commitment to ethical trading and British Food, sourcing more than 90% of its fresh food line within the UK. ASDA‘s 14 London branches concentrate on food, drink, groceries and flowers. Home delivery is available and costs £3.99 for all orders, although there is a minimum spend of £25 required.
Iceland
‘Cheap‘ is probably the first word that springs to mind when considering this supermarket chain and it probably likes it that way; families and students keen to grab a bargain flock to Iceland. Frozen foods are the main focus (hence the name) and families on a budget cram their freezers full of goodies. Alcohol and fresh goods at very reasonable prices are also available, and some stores also sell electrical items. There are 10 branches in London, all in less expensive neighbourhoods such as Brixton. Iceland also offers free home delivery if you spend more than £25 in-store, something unheard of among other supermarket chains.
Bates Hats
A delightfully old-fashioned establishment that kits out natty men (or ‘discerning gentlemen‘ as it calls them) in hats of every conceivable kind. Well, probably not baseball caps. Bates offers these gents a range of formal hats, bowlers, top hats, tweed caps, panamas, and straw boaters. The planter panama with a wide brim starts at £60. Staff are experts naturally and will advise you on how best to treat your hat (you should avoid pinching the front of a Panama, you know).