A cool but "different" concept store within Birmingham's Bullring, with the store opening towards…read morethe final third of 2019, H&M Home is one of two H&M's within the shopping centre but with a focus on "Home" items. It had a bit of a garden centre feel to it - it felt more like a garden/outside store than actually inside the "Home" The staff seemed a little rude, they appeared to be talking and taking photos at the front of the store - I'm not too sure why but they were doing it for quite a long time, during my time around the store and even when I passed it within the mall. They seemed to be paying no regards to customers coming in/out and just got in the way - they couldn't have picked a worse position to stand in... you'd think they were being managed by Jose Mourinho. Regardless, they still had some pretty interesting items and the store did look good. They had fresh flowers too but you had to buy them as a set and for a "no thrills" advertised florists, it still was a little premium. 3*

Since it was refurbished last year, River Island has really gone up in my estimations! I never…read morereally shopped in there until last summer as I found it to be a bit naff but it had improved so much I keep on going back. The layout of the shop is far better than before and there is plenty of space and choice of clothing. The whole environment feels a lot more stylish than before! The service is also exemplary! Every member of staff I have came across in there is wonderful, they're clearly choosing the right people for the job. They always go out of their way to help you and are also really friendly. The quality of the stock is better than before and it's all reasonably priced. It also seems to last a lot longer than any other high street brand which is perfect for me as I don't just mince about in clothes, I really put them through their paces and often end up having to replace many items which I haven't had to do yet from River Island! All in all, every time I leave this shop it is with a smile on my face!

I never used to shop in River Island when it moved into the Bull Ring, no idea why but the clothes…read morejust weren't for me and perhaps the layout wasn't conducive to a good shopping experience...anyway last June I think it was there was a refurb and the floor space seems to have doubled & every time I go in now I need everything I see! The layout is fantastic with a modern, light, cool interior. It's not too hot unlike its neighbour Topshop. The service is great, the assistants are helpful & chatty and the whole package makes for an enjoyable shopping experience. It's my go to for well priced & made leather (& pleather) jackets & bodycon dresses to make your eyes pop! Well priced & often there are discounts!

WHOAAAA MAMA!!! This Primark location in Birmingham was the BIGGEST one I went to while visiting…read morethe UK! If I recall correctly, it has 5 levels, and there's even a Disney Cafe, Polaroid Selfie Studio, and I think I saw a nail studio for the ladies. With all that being said, it represents the country's 2nd largest city very well (next to #1 London)! This area of Birmingham is super busy, with a lot of hustling and bustling, just like you'd see in NYC (which is on my bucket list, btw). The prices at Primark are super generous compared to US prices. It's compared to Old Navy, but to me, I think it's more reminiscent of H&M. I found some good loot at all of the locations I went to, but this one will always stand out to me. It's insanely busy on weekends, especially during the holidays, but the staff works hard to keep the lines moving. I do wish customers wouldn't be so rude and make an effort to put back whatever they pick up. I saw a lot of dropped items on the ground, lots of clothing and accessories and even picked up a few to put back. The workers do their best to fold the clothes and make them look presentable, but I feel bad that people rummage through and just toss them wherever (at least make an attempt, sheesh!). You may not want to come during busy season, which is weekends during the holidays. It's a hot mess and you might lose your party along the way if you separate, but if you like the deals here and don't mind fighting crowds, come shop til you drop! I hope to return again one day! =)

I had forgotten to bring a collared shirt for a venue that required it and stopped in here on a…read moreFriday night to grab one. What a nuthouse! Kudos to the staff who deal with kids who use the place as a hangout and the mountains of clothes from the fitting room that have to be folded and returned out to the floor.

I agree that this is the best Matalan around - its massive. Drawbacks? The only one is the queue to…read moreget served - especially at the weekend or at xmas, in fact I went there a few weeks ago (xmas) and took one look at the queue and just left! But well worth a visit at quieter times - bargains to be had here.

I absolutely love this Matalan, and is the biggest branch of the store that I have visited…read more The only downside to this Matalan is that it is very difficult to get to on public transport as there are no close bus stops and is a good 20 minute walk from Bilston town centre. The staff are some of the nicest people I have encountered in retail, and are really helpful and nice, especially the girls who man the changing rooms as they offer guidance on clothes and styling as well as complimenting you! There is a large range of clothes for all types of people, any size, any age. They also stock a really large section of homeware, including the new katie price range. The price of the whole range of products in Matalan is just superb, they definitely have the lowest prices for products of such high quality. The jewellery, accessories and shoes are phenomenal, and the store is always clean and uncluttered.

If you don't fancy heading to the centre of Birmingham for shopping heaven (why not?!) this…read moreshopping park has a number of flagship stores and eateries. Best of all the car parking is free, although as you can imagine finding a space at the weekends can be tricky so I would advise getting here early. Next, Boots (with a mini Waitrose inside), Topshop, Oasis and many more are here. If you are feeling hungry there is a Frankie and Benny's, Nandos, and Harvester and well as a few coffee places to try. All in all a worthwhile place to visit to stock up on the essentials.

As I'm currently the Duchess of the Fort, it would be rude not to review the place!…read more For me, this is quite local a I live just a couple of miles away. It's a typical out of town shopping centre with all of the high street familiars in one open space, so not at all an indie heaven, but useful if you need a Boots or M&S. It also has a BHS, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, and Carephone Warehouse, to name but a few. There's plenty of coffee, cake and food options including Starbucks, Costa Coffee, M&S Cafe and eateries such as Nandos, Harvester and Frankie & Bennies. There's plenty of free parking (it does get very busy around Christmas, and sometimes of a weekend) and it feels less claustrophobic than some shopping centres, being open air and built in a big loop. As far as these things go, it's decent enough, well maintained and with plenty of options.

Matalan, Matalan, Matalan! The poor office drudge's favourite shop!…read more For inexpensive, decent quality office attire, no one does it better than Matalan. £6 pairs of skinny leg black trousers, £4 button down shirts, and £10 smart jackets -- you too can look like a train conductor, for under £20! In the past few years, Matalan have started branching out to include lots of fun party wear, at a slightly higher quality and cost, and have some really fun and unique going out items. If you like sequins, and don't mind everyone knowing it, shop for your clubbing gear at Matalan. Matalan also do a nice range for the "sophisticated" (read: old) lady, including some nice jacket and skirt sets, and some good gardening wear for the retired lady. The Matalan in Birmingham near the Cite Centre is massive. It's kind of a Brum landmark, with its enormous Mosque-style dome, and absolutely enormous lay-out. This place is the size of a football field, if not bigger, and it has EVERYTHING. If Matalan carries it, the Brum outlet has it. Most of the stock in the Matalanverse is here. The staff are helpful, and there are a lot of them, spread throughout the store, so it's pretty easy to find what you are looking for. There are a lot of tills, but you'll still need to queue for awhile, as there are even more shoppers! The selection of lingerie here is very good, with a big, fine selection of bras for the larger busted lady, at reasonable prices (nothing worse than being forced to shop luxury brands simply because you're larger in the chest!). The selection of clothing at Matalan is never going to win any awards for being trendy, cutting-edge or wonderful, but they are cheap, accessible, and a short bus ride from most anywhere in Brum!

This is my favourite branch of Matalan because it's such a huge shop that I can always find…read moresomething for me and the kids and everything is always in stock in every size. There is plenty of room to move in the shop and aisles are wide enough that you don't have to worry about constantly bumping into other shoppers, I've usually got the pram with me and have no trouble at all getting around even though they provide trolleys which everyone seems to get even if they're only popping in for one t-shirt! There are plenty of changing rooms for you to try the clothes on and I have never had to queue up for a changing room even when the shop is busy. The changing rooms have those annoying curtains rather than doors, which I hate as trying to get changed in such an enclosed environment means I worry about flapping the curtain up on accident and flashing my bits to people outside! The ladies clothes are great and I always find them to be an excellent fit and accurate to the size on the label, particularly the bootcut jeans which fit perfectly even though I am quite short. Some jumpers come smaller than you think they are going to so it's important to try these on even if you know your size down to the last millimetre. The kids clothes are great, a nice mix of trendy and traditional clothes which are reasonably priced compared to most of the kids clothes shops in Town. Again the sizes are accurate and I can easily go in and buy my daughters' something off the shelf without them being there and be sure it's all going to fit when I get home. I don't really buy mens clothes from in here as my fella likes sporty clothes which Matalan don't seem to sell often, but I've had a browse and they sell a lot of jumpers and jeans along with t-shirts and socks. The prices for mens clothes is quite a lot higher than the womens section, but it all looks to be of excellent quality so if you like this style of clothes then you should be ok.

this store is smaller than a lot of the others so its not my favorite store…read more The staff are always friendly but having a baby i dont go in that often as you cant get round with a pram. The range is also more for younger where as the other stores seem to do more variety

Nice large branch of new look located in cannock town centre. It quite large with lots to offer you…read moreeverything from shoes and accessories to the latest fashions. Great place to go if your looking for a cheap new outfit. The changing rooms are very small though and there is only a few available but the store never gets too busy or overcrowded so you dont have to wait long. The store is well stocked, tidy and clean. I find the staff very helpful also.

Although I walk down Cannon Street every week, I never really stop to look at the shops therein…read more It's never been a conscious thing, I just didn't think that these places would stock anything of interest to me and thus didn't bother to have a look at them. It took a Christmas shopping event last night to show me the error of my ways and change my mind... So, I spotted on Twitter this week that "Shopping in Birmingham" was putting on an event in the City. With a free RSVP through their website, you could gain little perks in many of the stores situated on Cannon Street (including mulled wine, Christmas snacks, discounts and competitions). As I was in town on the Thursday I though, "what's not to lose?" and RSVP'd for myself and Elite's Caroline C and Emma S to go and have a mooch. After battling through the crowds of the German market, we met at the Studio where we were given our VIP discount cards, a glass of mulled wine and a little shopping bag and let loose on the street. We popped into White Stuff as it was offering 20% off all purchases on the night, as well as a little contest and festive drinks and snacks. On arrival we were immediately welcomed by a very friendly member of staff who poured us some sparkling wine and invited us to try our hand at "hook a duck" for £2 (with all proceeds going to charity). We all won a little White Stuff goodybag with a gift from the store, a little bar of chocolate and a discount voucher for Naked wines. So far, so good. Again, I have never stepped foot in this shop so didn't really know what to expect. There is a good range of small gifts (I picked up some fantastic cookie cutters), socks and sundries and clothes on offer in this "looks smaller from the outside" unit. Downstairs is mostly menswear at the front with a range of popular women's items at the back and upstairs is all ladies clothing. It's all nicely laid out and the price tag reflects the quality you can expect. Small gifts start from around £3.50 in this shop, although other novelty items reached up to around £16. The dresses and clothing certainly wasn't cheap, but there were scarves and tights for a "not entirely unreasonable" price for a nice gift (starting at £16 - £25). The staff were definitely the star of the show. All of them were welcoming, smiley and genuinely were going out of their way to help shoppers with questions about items in store or seeking out sizes that weren't on the racks. I don't know if it was the fake snow falling on the street or the loud Michael Buble soundtrack, but I was rather charmed by this shop. Yes, it's not independent. Yes, the designs are a little too colourful for my taste, but I will definitely be back to peruse their scarves, accessories and gifts in the future.

This shop is hidden away down a side street just off the main shopping strip of New Street but I…read morealways make a point of going here as I love it so much! The shop window is always inviting and the staff are very pleasant and helpful. It's reasonable sized, I went in the other day and they had changed the layout. It's now women's I the left, and men's on the right as you enter downstairs. You can also go upstairs where they stock shoes and children's clothes. It's also where the fitting rooms are by the way! The stock changes regularly and when the sales are on (not at the time of writing) they are really good. Also, there tends to be rack of 'last chance' offers, which are reduced down but lack the full array of sizes. They do gift tokens and are happy to exchange/refund on items when required. Overall, I love this store and the clothes, get yourself there!