Boots

Boots Company plc, widely known as simply Boots or Boots the Chemists, is one of the UK’s most ubiquitous chain stores, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country-a total of 2,500,no less. In recent years, they have diversified their business from a traditional pharmacy to one offering one-hour photo-processing, opticians, and home appliances in their major stores. They stock an excellent range of cosmetics, hair products and perfumes. Personal shoppers Many of the UK’s leading department stores provide a free personal shopper service, covering fashion, gifts and sometimes homewares. You can also hire a freelance independent personal shopper by the hour.

Debenhams

Debenhams is a retailer with a chain of 135 department stores in the UK and Ireland. It’s best known for its fashion, and wells a range of designer and own-label clothes at affordable prices. Part of Debenhams’s appeal is its concessions, which are ‘shops-in-shops’ and which can be found in most Debenhams stores.

Fenwicks

Fenwick, founded 1882 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (still its flagship store and headquarters), is an independent chain of stores in Canterbury, Leicester, London(Bond Street and Brent Cross), Tunbridge Wells, Windsor and York. It also owns the Bentalls stores in Bracknell and Kingston-upon-Thames. Most stores(the exception is Newcastle) focus on fashion and household goods.

Fortnum & Mason

Fortnum & Mason (usually referred to simply as “Fortnums’) is one of England’s oldest and most renowned department stores; it was founded in 1707 and celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2007. Situated in Piccadilly, London, its fame rests almost entirely on its upmarket food hall, though only one of its several floors is devoted to food. It’s also the location of a celebrated tea shop. If it’s excellent and/or expensive, it will be sold here. Famous for its luxury food hampers-just the job for the races (Ascot, Epsom, etc.), polo, Glyndebourne and fete champetre(garden parties).

Harrods

Harrods is the most famous department store in the world, and one of the largest. Situated in Knightsbridge in London, it occupies a 4.5 acre (1.82ha) site, with over one million ft2 (305,000m2) of selling space and more than 330 departments. Harrods caters to upmarket customers, and is said to be able to provide anything a customer wants-its motto is Omnia()mnibus Ubique-‘All Things for All People, Everywhere’. Of particular note is its world-famous Food Hall, where you can taste many products before buying.

Harvey Nichols

Harvey Nichols (‘Harvey Nicks’), founded in 1813 as linen shop, is an upmarket department store chain, with its original store in London’s Knightsbridge, and other stores in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester (plus a number overseas). It offers many of the world’s most prestigious brands in womenswear, menswear, accessories, beauty, food, and homewares, and attracts younger shoppers than its main rival Harrods, which tends to be more expensive. The London store also has a renowned restaurant, bar and café, which have become destinations in their own right, and are a favourite meeting place for savvy shoppers.

John Lewis The department store, John Lewis, recently topped a survey of the most popular English retailers, carried out by consumer magazine ‘Which?’ The chain scored especially highly with customers on its products and customer service, and offers solid good value (its motto used to be ‘Never knowingly undersold’), an unconditional returns policy, and a general feeling of good taste rather than showy fashion. One of the John Lewis Partnership’s most unusual aspects is that it’s a limited public company that’s held in trust on behalf of its employees (called ‘partners’)-who have a say in the running of the business, and receive an annual share of the profits. John Lewis stores sell a wide range of goods including upholstery, lighting, electrical items, clothes, toys, beauty products and kitchenware. It’s also one of the UK’s favourite electrical retailers, the owner of Peter Jones and Waitrose supermarkets (see below), and one of the UK’s foremost internet retailers (www.johnlewis.com). The only downside to john Lewis is that it has less than 30 stores nationwide, although it has plans to open another 11 by 2013. ‘I love to shop after a bad relationship. I buy a new outfit and it makes me feel better. Sometimes, when I see a really great outfit, I’ll break up with someone on purpose.’ Rita Rudner (American comedienne & writer)

Liberty

Liberty is a celebrated store in Regent Street, London, founded by Arthur Lasenby Liberty in 1875, to sell ornaments fabrics and miscellaneous art objects from Japan and the Far East. Nowadays, it sells fashions, cosmetics, accessories and gifts, in addition to homewares and furniture. Liberty has a distinctive style, and is famous for producing its own beautiful and luxurious fabrics. The shop is noted for its intimate feel, being unlike a typical large department store, with stairs and decorative elevators instead of escalators.

Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer (variously known as M&S, Marks and Sparks or simply Marks) is an English institution-it came third in a ‘Which’ consumer survey of the UK’s best retailers-with a reputation for high quality products and customer service. M & S lingerie is particularly popular, and most English women own at least some items of M&S underwear! It’s one of the most widely-recognised chain stores in the UK, and the largest clothing retailer, as well as being a multi-billion pound food retailer. Their food range is more expensive than most stores, but it offers unrivalled quality and reliability. It also sells homewares such as bed linen, but this is far smaller than the other two ranges.

Peter Jones

Peter Jones (known as PJs to its fans) is one of the largest and best-loved department stores in London (Sloane Square), and has been part of the John Lewis Partnership since the 1920s. It’s seen as rather an exclusive store, although its stock and décor are no different from other John Lewis stores, and a cut above the partnership’s other central London department stores(which is why it has retained its original name).

Selfridges

Selfridges is a chain of department stores founded by American entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge, who opened a large store in London’s Oxford Street in 1909. Selfridge was a pioneer in terms of department store marketing and retailing, and is popularly held to have coined the phrase ‘the customer is always right’, which he used regularly in his advertising. In addition to its London flagship store in Oxford Street, one of London’s largest, Selfridges also has stores in Birmingham and Manchester.

Waitrose

Waitrose is the supermarket division of the John Lewis Partnership, and came second to its parent company in a Which? Magazine customer satisfaction survey. It’s the UK’s most popular supermarket, although one of its smallest, with fewer than 200 branches. Like the partnership’s department stores (see above), Waitrose is targeted at the middle class market, emphasising quality food and customer service rather than low prices (their slogan is ‘Quality food, honestly priced’). Waitrose offer a number of special services including home deliveries, a party service and online shopping (www.waitrose.com).

WH Smith

W H Smith (colloquially known as Smiths) is a British retailer with it headquarters in Swindon. It’s best-known for its chain of high street, railway station and airport ‘newsagent’ shops selling newspapers, magazines, books, stationery and entertainment products. It’s one of the UK’s most omnipresent stores with almost 750 outlets, and offers an unrivalled range of magazines and trade newspapers; however, its range of books isn’t as good as dedicated bookshops, such as Waterstones.