A trip to the Baths without getting wet! Visit the Cavendish Arcade (Thermal Baths) and immerse…read moreyourself instead in a unique shopping, eating and drinking experience. Built by the Duke of Derbyshire in 1820 as a thermal/hot bath, it has been converted to a popular retail feature in the centre of Buxton. There are many good quality shops to browse in and a number of eating places to contemplate the purchases. Recommended.

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.

This department store reminds me of just what quintessential department stores should be. Ornate,…read moreold, on a main street, looking pretty as can be, even more enticing at Christmas. And that's just what Broads and Booths is. Plus it holds great nostalgia for me, a pair of my friends used to busk outside it when I was working as a chambermaid at Squire's. We'd spend the morning making moolah and count our cash in hand earnings to spend at Aqua in the afternoon after lunch. Ah, those weekends. The irresponsibility of youth. Part of the Beales group, Broads has survived for eons in its convenient location and sells everything you could need, from fashion accessories for men and women to clothes, soft furnishings to gifts, fine fragrances and cosmetics, there's a cookshop and a bed and bathshop and a restaurant and café for when your legs refuse to carry you any longer. You can even order all your lovely things online too. It's kind of like the Southport equivalent of Harrods or Lewis's, obviously on a much smaller and simpler scale but that's how much it's shaped the Southport landscape. Definitely worth a browse.

This is actually called Bealls now but Je refuse to write a Bealls review. Broadbents and…read moreBoothroyds has so much more panache. I remember as a little girl being amazed at all the luxury items and then being herded off to Woolys. Upscale, the old staircases are still intact but alas alack a little too crowded for me. The spell is broken.

Meadowhall is a large shopping centre, located just 3 miles away from Sheffield city centre, or 2…read moremiles away from Rotherham town centre. It is the largest shopping centre in the Yorkshire and the Humber region and the 12th largest in the UK overall by retail space, at time of writing (October 2021) - if the planned improvement works happen the centre could be expanded to become the fourth largest in the country. The mall is easily accessed by all modes of public transportation: There is a public transport interchange for trains (as far as Manchester and Cleethorpes), there are also Sheffield Supertram and bus services, serving the centre, not forgetting the 12,000 parking spaces up for grabs. There are multiple places to eat inside the centre's Oasis Dining Quarter including branches such as Friday's, KFC, McDonald's, Nando's, Pizza Express, Subway, Tapas Revolution and Wagamama. If you're looking for coffee, there are multiple branches of Starbucks, a Caffe Nero and some of the department stores here have their own Cafes. The majority of the centre feels modern, there are many large shops including Apple, Marks and Spencer, Primark and Next and even a barber and a VUE Cinema. The loss of Debenhams has hit the centre hard, which was one of the largest anchor stores of the mall. My biggest problem with this is you now have to walk all the way around the car park to get into the centre from the South Tinsley tram stop because the store is closed, that just seemed dangerous and not very well sign-posted for me. I feel they should have kept a walkway open to allow safe and confusion-free access into the centre. 4*

Although this place has all the usual chains and could be anywhere it is quite a relaxing place…read more The best part of it to me are the tiny specialist shops, in the little streets, off the food court. The Lanes. The food court itself is not bad for a shopping meal..lots of noodles or pizza and an all day breakfast place amongst them. The little shops have ethnic goods, an old fashioned toy shop and film memorabiliaThe Last Picture Show. There is also jewellery (Cleopatras is nice), a hobby shop, a watch hospital and a fairy shop. Arkwrights Emporium has all the old nostalgic stuff people love..great for gifts..including Gollies. Beatles stuff Marilyn Monroe, Laurel and Hardy. Audrey Hepburn, model cars and tractors, signs with a message, and branded stuff like BETTY BOOP. GUINNESS. JACK DANIELS. JOHN DEERE etc. These little shops are, for me, the best part of Meadowhall.

Traditional clothing shop that also boasts a very good website and online offer. The shop itself is…read morequite modest in size and isn't cheap but there is old fashioned great service here so well worth a visit

A truly old-fashioned sort of clothes shop and drapers. Its the sort of place where you can still…read morebuy collar studs. One of very few shops in Buxton still to have awnings. Half day closing: Wednesday.

For what it is you know the M&S cafe in Handforth dean is alright!…read more Short and sweet from me; it's reasonably priced, the staff are cheerful and the self-help system actually works well for soft drinks and other snacks. It cost me £15 for a chicken Tagine, chocolate lolly, a tea, flat white and a Diet Coke - now I think that's value for money! And the Tagine was absolutely delicious! I would definitely eat there again whilst shopping in Marks and Spencer. I go there regularly for my weekly shop, so it's nice to know I can trust that the food & drink is up to scratch, in case I need to stop for a bite once again!

This branch of Marks and Spencer is quite a big store located in Handsforth Dean, and is in a big…read moreretail complex with quite a large Tesco store. This store can be a nightmare to get to, as it is situated on a large number of roundabout, coming from Manchester for a conference here, they must of been a good 5 roundabouts along the Handforth Bypass, but other than that it is easy to get to, get the motorway towards Birmingham (M60) and just follow the A34, hence coming off the motorway at J3. The car park is quite big as well, with the regular Tesco car park and just one for the standard retail park. This is quite a big store, with a good sized food and clothing section, it can be actually quite hard to find everything in away, especially due to the lack of organization with certain people sending me the wrong way, left right and centre, even the co-ordinator for the event, and I actually had to phone the store to get someone to assist me as they was no staff about - which is totally unacceptable. The event co-ordinatior works for Marks and Spencer, and did make false promises and taken her time to do everything. They is 2 cafes in this store, and they are quite nice cafes, they is one big one, where the event tasted place, and it even has trackers on the tables so the server knows where you are. The cafe isn't great, although some of the staff were good, running around to get me a gluten free sandwich, to the shop floor and the other cafe. The cafe still wasn't great as my iced tea was quite expensive costing about £2.50, and it did taste home made but absolutely awful, and very watery. The store has a good sized free from range, compared to other stores, for example the branch at Bury, where it is a struggle to even grab a sandwich, however they are far too expensive, and as the event co-ordinator is a coeliac, she should do something about it, she even admitted to me in private she knows the range is expensive, but I know she told a few white lies in the presentation. Overall, this isn't the greatest Marks and Spencer's store, even though it is huge, considering issues with the lack of knowledge from staff and staff in general, pricing, lack of organization and simply being a nightmare to get to, roundabout after roundabout, as it is located off a slip road from one, they are unavoidable really and this makes the store, one to not visit rather than to go through all the kerfuffles of the many, confusing roundabouts to visits. I can't give this store any more than 2 stars.

Quite a large department store with loads of different departments to suit yourself and your home…read more The prices are quite high but the products are of good quality. There is a multi storey car park provided.

Despite what my husband may think I'm not a big fan of shopping and spending time in mammoth…read moreshopping centres and hot, stuffy department stores where the exit is nowhere to be seen (think the Father Ted lingerie department episode) puts the fear of God into me. However, needs must and sometimes shopping can't be avoided so if this is the case I want somewhere that will make it as easy as possible. I like this branch of John Lewis as it's easily accessible by road (just off the M60 and Handforth bypass) with plenty of parking, making it super easy to pull up and head straight in. It's pretty big, spread over 3 floors, but still doesn't feel like it swallows you up and everything is very easy to find. It's also very neat and tidy which is pretty important to me as I hate it when a shop is in total disarray (think the hellhole that is Primark) as it just makes the whole shopping experience more stressful than it should be. I've always found the staff to be approachable and friendly and will happily dispense advice on the best toaster or coffee machine for your buck, if you so desire. John Lewis is definitely one of the more premium department stores (not quite Harvey Nics but definitely not Debenhams) so the products and prices obviously mirror this but if you are after gifts or items that are of a higher quality then it's a brilliant option. Another major plus point for JL is that if you sign up for their loyalty card online they send you vouchers for free coffee and cake every month - this sweetens the shopping experience no end!

Love the convenience of the café. John Lewis has always provided the best and delivery services and…read moreinstallation for all the appliances. This particular visit was for curtains. One star off because while there are many sizes and styles listed online, the stores usually only carry one or two of each variety leading you to have to purchase them online and have arranged for either pick up in store, or home delivery. So it is best to use the store to inspect the individual items first before purchasing, but you might end up going online to order them anyway. Prices were excellent as always and delivery was free and of course John Lewis has a wonderfully large parking lot. That is also free of charge. For online pick up or Customer Service head around to the parking behind the store and enter from the rear entrance.