Once upon a time, Birmingham was just a common industrial city, but nowadays this is a great destination that can be safely called one of the must-see places in Great Britain. Beautiful landscapes, an impressive combination of ancient churches and futuristic buildings give it a special charm. But also, the city is known for its excellent shopping opportunities. Its cozy fashion boutiques and huge shopping centers are a favorite spot for shoppers from around the world. Well, let’s look at the best places to shop in Birmingham…
Bullring
Bullring shopping complex is a huge modern center with the area of more than 100 thousand square meters. Under its unusual roof, as if hovering in the air without any visible supports, you’ll find a great selection of shops of the world’s most famous brands. To be more precise, there are over 160 shops, where you can buy fashionable clothes, shoes, accessories, cosmetics and goods for children. Also, there’s an excellent indoor market, and a swimming pool, various restaurants and cafes.
Multilevel parking is connected with the main building by a separate passage. An impressive design of the facades resembles a fabric embroidered with round beads, which makes Bullring really amazing.
Bullring is situated in the center of Birmingham. In this historic place, trade was conducted from the middle of the 12th century, when the market was on the square. In continuation of the glorious trade traditions in the middle of the last century a large shopping center was built, however, and it was not able to satisfy all the needs of the local population and visitors. After that Bullring was built – one of the four best shopping malls in Europe.
Address: Birmingham B5 4BU
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 10am-8pm, Saturday 9am-8pm, Sunday 11am-5pm
Grand Central
If the shops presented in Bullring are not enough for you, just go to the Grand Central shopping center. This spacious shopping mall is also very large and beautiful, so you can walk and shop there all day long choosing new clothes and relaxing in cozy cafes. Among the brands available in Grand Central Birmingham are FatFace, Hobbs, Accessorize, Cath Kidston, John Lewis, Monsoon, Select and Tiger. Also, there are several sports shops in the shopping complex as well as grocery stores, where popular sweets are sold. Grand Central will be interesting for families with kids, because there are various shops with clothes and other goods for children.
Address: Birmingham B2 4BL
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-8pm, Sunday 11am-5pm
Guthrie & Ghani
Those women who like original design should definitely visit the unique store Guthrie & Ghani in Birmingham. It’s a single complex with a large sewing workshop, which has been working for several decades. In this store at an affordable price you can buy excellent textiles, for example, home clothes, gorgeous scarves and colorful bags for the summer. This unusual shop offers great master classes for everyone who wants to learn how to sew. In addition, in Guthrie & Ghani you can order clothes sewn according to your individual sketch.
Address: 169 Alcester Rd
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 9.30am-5.30pm, Sunday closed
(photo by Farnham Maltings)
Birmingham Open Market
Another great place for shopping is Birmingham Open Market. This huge market offers hundreds of different goods and interesting cultural events. There are many separate pavilions in the market with clothes, bags and fabrics, but many people visit the market specifically to purchase the best meat delicacies and fresh fish. Birmingham Open Market is the right place for the fans of seafood – tasty crabs and shrimps are sold there at the most attractive prices. Showcases with vegetables and fruits amaze with their diversity.
Address: 5BB, Edgbaston St
Opening hours: Tuesday-Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 9am-5.30pm, Monday and Sunday closed
(photo by Sally Somerville-Woodiwis)
ICC Mall
ICC Mall is one of the newest and least known shopping centers in Birmingham. It’s home for different retail and eating outlets, including Strada, WH Smith, Starbucks, and Castle Fine Art Gallery. It attracts visitors not only with a stunning selection of shops, but also by the presence of a charming restaurant patio. In the warm season, tables of restaurants and cafes are set in a picturesque courtyard. Speaking of fashion, ICC Mall offers boutiques of men and women’s clothing of popular world brands. There are also excellent perfume shops.
Address: Broad St, Birmingham 2EA B1
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 10am-8pm, Saturday 9am-8pm, Sunday 11am-5pm
(photo by Wayne Hopkins)
In addition to fascinating landscapes, rich history and great business opportunities, Birmingham is a suitable destination for shoppers. The city’s shopping spots include gorgeous malls, outdoor markets and separate trendy boutiques. By the way, there are several sewing workshops for those who want to find something special.
So, are you ready to fully enjoy Birmingham shopping? Then you should visit at least several spots from the list. Of course, you’ll need Birmingham car rental for easy and fast getting between these shopping destinations.