Shopping Malls & Retail Parks

Although UK shopping malls will never rival those found in the US, there are an increasing number of large, take-you-all-day-to-walk-around, malls that have sprung up across the UK.

These malls will normally incorporate restaurants, cafes and even cinemas alongside a very wide and varied range of shops.  These will include department stores, clothing shops, through to smaller shops that specialise in a specific field.  These have been set up to be a complete shopping experience and before embarking on a trip to these malls, ensure you have a pair of comfortable shoes and a good credit limit on your card!

Whilst most town centres will offer a wide variety of shops, and many are building large, under-cover malls, there remains a relatively small amount of the vast malls. Edge of town retail parks are more common, and below you'll find links to the most commonly found stores.

Shopping Malls

The shopping malls of note in the South East are:

Lakeside which is situated just off the M25 at junction 30/31.  It houses around 320 shops and is open 7 days a week.  During the week, the complex remains open until 10pm.

Bluewater is home to around 250 stores and is situated about a mile from junction 2 of the M25.

These have extensive parking facilities and are both clearly sign-posted from the motorway.

Town centre and urban shopping malls that are worth visiting include:

Brent Cross in North West London, Kingston, Watford, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Reading, Southampton, Harrow, Luton, Uxbridge, Guildford.

Retail Parks

Some shops require larger spaces than those normally found in shopping arcades.  Because of this, it is now common to find retail parks on the outskirts of towns which are home to bigger stores.

These stores will typically be DIY outlets, electrical retailers, furniture or home stores.  They will be built on a specific site, and normally offer free parking.  You will normally find a few companies grouped together within one retail park so that you don't have to keep driving around to different parts of the town in order to find what you need.

A list of the shops that you may find in retail parks follows:

Due to the type of merchandise that you are likely to purchase in these stores, they will offer home delivery - so don't think that you'll have to carry a washing machine home on your motorbike!  Some will charge for the delivery, other won't.  Check with the individual store before purchasing.

These parks will be very busy over the weekend, but many open late into the evenings.  So, if you can avoid weekend shopping, especially Bank Holiday weekends, you'll save time and your sanity! 

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