Now called the House of Fraiser, this is a good department store.There is about 3 or 4 levels to…read morethe store. On the top level is the cafe, which always serves lovely food at reasonable prices, there is quite a big seating area so it is quite easy to get a table. They stock well know brands for men, women and children, also they sell shoes and homeware items.

A great old style department store where you can lose a few hours. The handbag ranges include…read moreRadley and the prices are in line with others. the cosemtic counters are always happy to give free advice and make overs. There are a number of designer type clothing bits, with Mexx and Oasis for the younger lady and some more older type womenswear upstairs. the cafe is ok. There cards and stationary is good and there is a good selection of jewellery - although mainly costume

Debenhams Browns of Chester is the only Debenhams store to retain its' original branding, Browns of…read moreChester. It has been owned by Debenhams since 1976, yet the store is fairly old being founded in 1780, while it doesn't seem to compare to the older department stores in London, it still is a fairly nice branch, you can enter the store through street-level or through the Grosvenor Shopping Centre. The store is pretty old and you can tell that through shopping inside, they have random sets of steps and ramps all over, so it isn't just one straight/flat level, so do be careful where you're walking to avoid tripping. They had a huge clearance sale on my visit, due to Debenhams' facing difficulties and having to close many of their stores, including this one, I still found many of their prices to be high even after the discount, I found the promotional offers to be inconsistent and it was hard to tell what item costs what as each part of the store/product range would have a different % off. The store did seem a little messy, but it did have some good products overall and it is nice to see they haven't ignored the history, it's a shame to see this store earmarked for closure as although it isn't perfect, it is and remains a nice addition to the town centre. 3*

This is a large department store where you can find really gorgeous bags, shoes, make up and…read moreperfume on the first floor and loads and loads of clothes on the second floor. This place really is fantastic for womens clothes - like debenhams it has all the usual brands such as Jane Norman and Oasis, and it has a great underwear section with huge variety of pretty knickers. It also has a wedding section with loads of higher quality dresses. Of course these come with a higher price tag that the high street stuff that can be found there but this is where I would come to look for something to wear for a special occasion.

A nice department store in Solihull, I find myself visiting less and less now because John Lewis is…read moreusually where I park my car so will always walk through JL first. Beatties does have a beautiful Christmas display and sells a good range of toys on the top floor. I had a make-over done here a while back and the sales staff were really helpful on the counter and kept a card with my details on for me, if I wanted to go back and get some more products. Towards last Christmas they had either a 10 or 20% off day and I managed to get a lovely perfume set for cheaper than anywhere else.

A good department store with a good mixture of thingson sale. Good range of clothing, toys,…read morehousehold items etc. Just a shame there is no Bobby Brown counter! Very easily accesable from Beatties carpark direct via a bridge linking the two so very easy to pop into. Well laid out and easy to understand and helpful staff who are more than happy to help you out. Also a good range of food and drink on offer with a proper restaurant on the top floor and a more like cafe style snack bar on the first floor. Highly recomended and convenient to get to.

Went for first time in four years today and luckily not too many customers. The shop assistants…read moreprobably outnumbered paying customers, but they were all so helpful and obliging, everyone we met showed tremendous knowledge of the items in the store and ideas. We could have stayed there for hours. The cafe is just that, a standard snack serving cafe, nothing outstanding but the service was exceptional. But the greatest benefit is the massive selection of women's and men's clothes, from the ordinary to top quality. Something for everyone. It might have been an 80mile round journey, but worth it and we will go again before Christmas to get a few more bargains.

This one goes out to all the senior citizens... boy, I get cooler by the day :P…read more Be warned this place can be terrifying. It's so big when you enter that you can't even see the far walls beyond the vast sea of clothing stands in front of you, all arranged in a grid that forces you to move pac-man style through the aisles whilst dodging slow-moving pensioners on all sides. I think it's my uber-cool little sister's idea of hell. Not exactly my idea of a good time, and I'm not about to suggest it should be yours! But they do have a huge range of middle-aged-to-elderly mens and womenswear, much of it from branded labels at outlet prices (think Austin Reed, Moss Bros, Jaeger, Hobbs etc), plus things like bed linen, books, perfumes and stationery. Whilst I may have turned 30, I haven't grannyfied my wardrobe just yet - I'm actually suggesting you earn some good grandkid brownie points by bringing your nan here to browse and bargain-hunt. Yes it'll be two hours of your life you won't get back but it's well organised, saves them the stresses of the big malls, and the pensioners love it (there's always plenty of them enjoying the cafe at the back!). As well as doing something nice out of the goodness of your heart, you might just strike it lucky as I did and find one of the handful of things in the store that someone under 40 might actually wear (and my little sis approved of!). In my case, a gorge Adrianna Papell work dress reduced from its £139 RRP to a £30 outlet bargain, that I'm proudly wearing to the office to combat the back-to-work blues today. Boom :)

Turn left onto memory lane.....I was back in the Oasis market the other day and my god it has not…read morechanged a bit! The last time I was in here I was buying flared chord trousers and band posters......but today it was all change and i was having t shirts printed for a dj set.....with the wonderful diva face of Mariah Carey...obviously. T shirt printing is only £8 if you take a T-shirt with you which I think its a stupidly good price and the quality was excellent. I felt fabulous and glamorous wearing it so thank you T shirt printing lady! Inside the market you can also get a load of hippy stuff, jewellery, bongs and smoking paraphernalia, band merch and other random treasures and delights. This is a place for the more alternative amongst us really but not exclusively. If you haven't been go and have a look as its an untouched and unchanged part of the city that is quickly becoming modernised everywhere you look. Never change Oasis market...never change.

If you've ever been into line dancing, skating, surfing, dressing up, hippies, goths or bands at…read moreany point, you'll probably have been for a visit to the oasis markets. It's spread over a few floors, which are all inside. Most of the stalls are set into each corner of the place. There's loads of stuff in here, most or nearly all of it now new stuff. There used to be a couple of vintage stalls in here but think they have moved on now. There are a couple of women's fashion stalls selling stuff like punky fish, big flares and little tops. There's a couple of Levi holders with lovely phat flares and skinny jeans, really good prices too. There's smoking paraphenalia and some kinky stalls selling fetish stuff. On the ground floor there are a couple of shoe stalls, perfect for probably the best and widest choice of Doc Marten's in Brum, these are pretty pricey though. Head downstairs for the surf stalls that sell; animal, roxy (quiksilver) mambo etc, there's a good choice of clothing and there is often a sale on. Not many accessories here, but good for rucksacks. If none of this takes your fancy you can get a tatoo or pierced while you visit. Always worth a look even if it's a little bit out of the main hub now the Bullring's been built.

Great store, lots of variety. I bought too much in UK and needed an extra suitcase for the trip…read morehome and found a very nice on sale at a very reasonable price. Sales people were helpful and polite as would be expected in UK. Last time I was in Oxford ('08) I also bought a bag so it is my place to go for luggage type purchases, although they have other things as well.

Boswells is a GREAT department store where you can find so many varying things that you can do a…read morewhole load of shopping all at once. From bed linin to plates, from shampoo to hankies, from alarm clocks to pen knives.... it really does have everything. The kitchen dept. is pretty large doing some really unique cutlery, place mats and odds n bobs. At christmas time it also sells alot of christmas decorations and candy goods etc. The staff are helpful and their are quite a few tills which is good as it can be quite busy. The goods are cheaper than most other department stores and so for that reason alone are worth a browse!

A good old traditional department store, part of the House of fraser chain, which specialises in…read morequality items. Everything from Homeware, to menswear, ladies wear, perfume, make-up, shoes etc. Also benefits from a busy coffee shop. The restaurant is however a dissapointment being dated and dull

I haven't been to Cavendish House for about 20 years and nor will I ever again. Let me explain why…read more I used to visit when I was home on leave from the Forces but on one occasion I was prevented from entering by a very pompous and unpleasant Doorman. I'd smiled at him and said 'Good morning', as I always did - perhaps this one was new, as I didn't recognize him. He simply looked down his nose at me as though I'd made a bad smell and stepped in front of me as I was about to enter. I asked him what was wrong and, rather than replying, he just gave me the most disdainful stare. I had no idea what the problem was. I wasn't in my Sunday Best but I was certainly presentable - clean clothes, clean shaven, smart hair cut as you'd expect from a military type. He looked old enough to have done National Service himself. I politely asked him again what the problem was and again he said nothing, just continuing to look at me with utter contempt. When I wrote to Store Management, I received no reply. I was utterly disgusted and can only put it down to snobbery.

While on a trip to London we made a quick stop here to purchase a delightful umbrella for my wife…read moreto use during our travels. Fair price, helpful customer service reps, and a clean, well-lit store... I've got no complaints at all and we would gladly go back again if we ever visit Oxford again - hopefully we will.

I love this shop. It used to be a real rabbit warren of a place, a bit like an old fashioned…read moredepartment store. (Think 'Are you being served') It was gutted a few years back and although the building looks the same on the outside inside it's a totally different place. There are three floors (as per usual) which are jam packed full of things to peruse and buy! The womenswear floor is large with a wide range of items for women of any taste. They have a Coast branch inside and a big collection of fancy dresses to suit. The homeware floor is big as well with quite a decent range of kitchen utensils which is nice because a lot of stores skimp on things like this. All in all the store is nice and bright, it can get a bit congested on the escalators and in the lobby though so be careful.

On a recent holiday we were treated to a trip to the quaint market town of Abergavenny whilst there…read moreI discovered a marvellous shop called Nicholls.It is a department store which stocks a range of furniture,gifts and ladies clothes. Nicholls sell some unusual gifts along with more well known makes and have a wide range of Ainsley china in stock. They also have a fab coffee shop in store which sells healthy lunches ,beautiful freshly made sandwiches and mouth watering cakes,ideal for a relaxing sit down I came home with a lot of Christmas shopping and hopes of returning in the new year.

A little overdue (sorry)..... A lovely little store,…read moreprobably aimed more at women but with a wonderful cafe, to keep the men happy. It's like a mini department store, clothing (not sure if they have mens or kids), some furniture, kitchenware, lots of gifts, womens clothing, jewellery and of course, the cafe. An old relation owns a wonderful hotel in a neighbouring town and she loves to come to Nicholls, both in Aber and in Crick, so that's a good sign. To be honest, I only went because my aunt asked me to take her there for Christmas dinner (she doesn't get one, where she is). I chauffeured, she bought the food. For £8 odd, you got a good plate of food, with separate vegs & potatoes and a gravy boat. Wonderful. And the turkey actually had taste. Yes, amazing. I don't know if it was free range/organic, or just fresh and local but this was stunning. I hate turkey normally, because of it's blandness but this was in a different league. All the accompaniments were also extremely fresh and tasty. They don't advertise as being free range/organic, rather local/fresh (which avoids them having to check suppliers, I guess, but I'd put money on the turkey at least being free range). Bernard, eat your heart out, that's how it SHOULD taste. I hope to be back this year again, with my aunt, for what was the best Christmas Dinner I've had in many a year. Thank you Nicholls. david