old fashioned and always classy!read more

For many years shoppers across North Wales who wanted a proper day out shopping had to head to…read moreChester or beyond. There was a small Debenhams in Bangor and Llandudno had it's two Marks and Sparks but there wasn't a great shopping venue. A couple of years ago Parc Llandudno was opened, a new retail park featuring mainly fashion stores, and Debenhams was the flagship store. It's a decent sized place. Downstairs caters for the ladies with clothing, accessories and cosmetics. Go up the elevator and you'll find mens, kids and homewear. There's also a pleasant little cafe at the front looking out over the car park and across to the panoramic views of Asda. This is a decent addition to Llandudno and means that shoppers no longer need to make the trek to Chester.

Debenhams in Llandudno is a huge store that dominates the retail park it sits on. There's a huge…read morevariety of goods on offer. Ladies clothes, perfumes, makeup, and underwear cover most of the ground floor. Upstairs you have the menswear, homewares, toys, and cafe. The womens underwear (I have been assured lol!) is of a high standard and reasonably priced. I feel that the bedsheets and kitchenware etc is heavily overpriced and you can probably get a better deal elsewhere. The perfumes are well priced, but at Christmas they really couldn't compete well against Boots. It seems for the January sales they have brought in loads of rubbish stock, I don't believe they are selling the good stuff at 70% off. Either that, or ninja shoppers turned up at the crack of dawn to buy up all the good stuff and leave all the rubbish behind. This is a known sales tactic employed by many companies, so I'm not just pointing the finger at Debenhams. We'll go there durning 'normal' times of year, but avoid the place like the plague in January. Strangely enough the store in Llandudno feels far more pleasant a place to be in than the brand new one recently opened in nearby Bangor. I think it's due to it's regular and far less disorienting layout.

I've visited TK Maxx shops all the way from Birkenhead to Bangor and the one thing that connects…read morethem all is that they rarely fail to disappoint. The main difference between those stores and this new branch in Llandudno is that I don't have to travel as far to be disappointed anymore. I visited this branch a couple of days after the store first opened and it all looked a bit shabby and messy. That was in fairness partly due to the fact it was very busy (whether that will still be case once the novelty has worn off only time will tell) but somehow the place didn't look as bright and shiny as a new business should. The range of stock wasn't great and although this is an outlet shop it's still expensive, although I guess if you really have to have a Ralph Lauren polo shirt you're better off paying £24.99 for one here than paying £70.00 elsewhere. The children's clothing section was very limited and about two thirds boy's clothing compared to one third girl's, which isn't great for me as I have two daughters. The shop was full of rude customers standing in the middle of aisles and not letting anyone past or otherwise barging other customers out of the way. On top of all of this the store is located on a retail park which allows parking cowboys to fleece customers and it's in a town with very poor road links which makes getting in and out difficult at peak times. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I won't be rushing back.

Twenty years or so back no day out in Chester would be complete without a visit to River Island. It…read morewas, in my mind at least, one of the trendy shops. These days I have a branch on my doorstep and on the rare occasions I go in there I find myself wandering the menswear department muttering things like that material looks a bit flimsy and HOW MUCH!!!. I accept that I no longer fit their target demographic but some of items on offer these days appear to me to be extremely garish and there are things I wouldn't be seen wearing if they paid me. There are some nice clothes mixed in but ultimately this is a shop for people who value style over substance.

Peacocks is a cheap clothing store, a bit like Matalan except it's still cheap. The Llandudno…read morebranch is noteable as the building it's in was once the legendary Payne's Cafe Bar. It has an interesting interior, apparently it still has a sprung floor, there are sweeping staircases and there's a balcony upstairs which allows the men and kids to watch the ladies shopping downstairs (as always men and kids get shoved upstairs!). The stock is pretty much all own brand stuff and is best described as cheap and cheerful. It's not brilliant but not awful and the prices are very competitive. It's great for kids stuff as they'll wreck their clothes in no time regardless of the quality. Not a bad place, worth a quick peek, especially when the sales are on.

Peacocks is a great value clothes store and sells a good range of fashionable items for all the…read morefamily. Very well priced but not the best quality but its ideal if you just buying an outfit for a special occasion or night out which you'll probably not wear too often. I tend to do most of my Summer Holiday Shopping at Peacocks as they have a great selection of Swimwear, Shorts, T-shirts and Vests all at really cheap prices so you cant go wrong. Underwear is pretty good value too, again the quality is not as good as say M&S but they have some good cheap essentials. As Andy mentioned the Sales at Peacocks are really good, lots of things under £5, i've managed to pick up lots of wardrobe staples and work wear in the past. the only problem with the sales is that it tends to be Summer Sales in Winter and Winter Sales in Summer so you have to think ahead to the next season. They have also started to do Christmas Gifts which are ideal Stocking Fillers or fun presents. Well worth a visit - it's a bit hit and miss but i'm sure you'll find a bargain.

Cotton Traders is a nice shop selling decent quality ladies and mens casual wear. Much of what's on…read moreoffer is quite plain looking, the exceptions being the rugby shirts and Guinness branded items. It's the ideal place for middle aged people who don't want to stand out in a crowd (providing they don't buy any Guinness rugby shirts).