Last week we at Time Out covered a study that ranked the best shopping centres in the UK (you can read more about that here). But what if you want to take a bit more time over your festive shopping? What if you want to soak up some seasonal vibes and, importantly, support some independent businesses?
If you’re up for going indie and getting a bit more pleasure out of your Christmas shopping, mega-malls probably aren’t your go-to. So here’s another ranking: folks over at American Express have ranked the best high streets in the country for independent shops, based on factors like the number of shops, their variety and number of visitors.
Top of Amex’s ranking came Victoria Street & West Bow in Edinburgh. One of Auld Reekie’s prettiest streets (and a Unesco World Heritage site), West Bow (and its continuation Victoria Street) has shops like cheesemonger IJ Mellis and Isle of Skye Candle Company.
Second was High Street in Stockbridge, while third came The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells.
Here’s the full top ten best streets in the UK for independent shops, according to American Express.
- Victoria Street & West Bow, Edinburgh
- High Street, Stockbridge
- The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells
- Church Street, Hereford
- Broadway, Cotswolds
- Town Centre, Petworth
- High Street, Burford
- Magdalene Street, Cambridge
- The Lanes, Brighton
- Town Centre, Llandeilo
You can find out more on the official study here.
Time Out and indie shopping
We’re Time Out, of course we have our own guides to the best independent shops around! For starters, check out our lists of the finest indie shops in London and Manchester.
Did you see that these are the happiest places to live in the UK?
Plus: you can send someone a free Cadbury chocolate bar this Christmas.
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