Leicester Guide To Shops & Shopping
Leicester city centre has gained a reputation as a top UK shopping destination drawing tourists and shoppers from neighbouring cities and towns. For the tourist Leicester has a mix of high street names, small designer outlets and unusual individual shops. Leicester offers a huge range of choices for the whole family. It’s also very compact, so you won’t have to walk far to find all your favourite places behind every turn there is an exciting place to see.
Leicester’s principal shopping centre, The Shires is home to a whole host of big name stores, including Karen Millen, Next, Haagen Daz, Virgin Megastore, and Warehouse. It also has two large department stores, Debenhams and Rackhams (House of Fraser), selling designer brands like Diesel, Paul Smith, Jasper Conran, Calvin Klein, and DKNY. The shires shopping centre is now being extended and will boast a totally unique shopping experience upon its completion.
Fosse Park is a huge shopping precinct on the ring road of Leicester.
The retail park is in an area of mixed industrial and commercial development, about half a mile from Junction 21 of the M1 (where the M69 and the A4560 (Narborough Road) meet the M1). It lies just outside the city border in Blaby District, near the Leicester suburbs of Braun stone, fosse park boasts a large number of high street names where locals, visitors and tourist can have a total outdoor shopping experience, fosse park also has a fantastic food court where you can consume a simple coffee through to jacket potatoes and other mouth watering delights.
Haymarket Shopping is a bright and airy two-storey shopping mall offers a mixture of well-known high street brands. Located in the heart of Leicester, the Haymarket Shopping Centre is a convenient shopping location boasting a great variety of retailers and everything you need for a fantastic shopping experience
St Martin’s Square & Leicester Lanes are enjoyable places to hang out. This charming, cosmopolitan vicinity of the city centre is a definite must for all visitors and tourists. With its small lanes surrounding the hub of St. Martin’s Square itself, it is home to an intriguing variety of independent fashion, interior design and gift shops.
Gallowtree Gate, Leicester’s lively main shopping pedestrian area is where mainstream fashion and footwear retailers can be found. This busy pedestrian’s street is often buzzing with street entertainers and pavement artists.
Humberstone Gate boasts the futuristic style Haymarket Towers complex, this wide pedestrianised area is also the main place for city centre events. Fairground rides as well as street performers attract locals and tourists. An absolute must for any visitor.
Now thriving more than ever before, the High Street has recently undergone a transformation now offers a stylish range of shops, which cover areas of home interiors as well as children’s toy shops and independent fashion retailers are a few to mention.
Belvoir Street & Market Street is where stylish bars and cafes sit amongst intriguing specialist shops. Belvoir Street and Market Street offer a dynamic mix of places from bookshops and fine men’s tailors to small jewelers and confectioners. During the later hours of the day tourist can enjoy the buzz of the local trendy bars and restaurants.
There are a huge number of ladies shops along Belgrave Road, selling everything from plain, simple designs to heavily embroidered wedding saris. Vibrant colours integrated within beautiful silks and much more. Styles of clothing can be very different too, ranging from the traditional saris, lengha suits and shalwar kameez; A Mecca for the female tourist or visitor.