SHOP IN LONDON GUIDE
Sales season
The two major sales seasons are the January and the Summer sales – though thanks to the recession stores have been doing increasingly rapid mark-downs and bigger sales rails. Christmas stock can already be grabbed at discounted prices by the tail-end of December, though for proper designer bargains, you’ll need to join the queues outside Selfridges for the mega New Year sales usually starting on December 27. Harrods also does mammoth mark-downs, but as with anything, you’ve got to be quick to get the good stuff. Liberty is usually a better bet for menswear - less crowded and more generous markdowns.
Sample sales
Compared to New York, designer sample sales are relatively poor and few and far between. You may want to check out the sample sale calendar on Urban Junkies.
Where to shop
Look at our overview of London's shopping areas and districts for more information on this. Also check out our directory of our favourite shops in London.
Late Night Shopping
Thursday is the nationwide late-night shopping day, with most stores staying open until 9-10pm. Sidewalks get absolutely rammed though, so if you’re planning on heading down one of the bigger shopping districts, bring a truck load of patience and a poking-stick.
What to look out for
As the home to a bevy of international creatives who flock to London for a chance to study at one of the prestigious University of The Arts, the most famous of which is still Central Saint Martins, the city is always bursting with hot young talent. CSM alone has spawned the likes of Christopher Kane, Giles Deacon, Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan. As such, there’s more than the usual outpouring of creativity to be had at any number of the independent boutiques to be found around town, with home-grown British talent played up against foreign pieces sourced by the eagle-eyes of some of the best buyers in town, be it smaller outposts like No-One, or larger gallery-like stores like Browns. If you’re into new designers and like sporting something unusual, you’re likely to find it here.
What's this ‘High Street’ you speak of?
In layman’s terms, a high street in Britain is the main shopping throughfare in any town, city or village which generally features one or all of the following; a Boots (chemists), a Topshop, a Marks & Spencer, a New Look, a Superdrug, a Debenhams, a Waterstones and, in dire cases, a Greggs.
