Shopping in Leicester 

Get lost in Leicester’s Lanes, where the narrow Victorian streets and arcades are packed with fantastic independent stores, vintage shops and curios. Discover record shops selling the best vinyl or a gamer’s paradise with a vintage arcade included! Geek heaven awaits in the two-level Forbidden Planet or you can lose yourself in the Maynard & Bradley second hand book shop. If you have a sweet tooth then real Italian ice from Gelato Village or traditional treats from Ye Olde Sweet Shop are perfect. With vintage and designer stores selling everything from classic styles to one-off pieces to make a statement in your home or wardrobe, along with the Very Bazaar, which is an Aladdin’s cave of weird and quirky pieces, The Lanes has something to suit all tastes. 

Recently voted one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in the country, Clarendon Park is full of fantastic shops, cafés and restaurants and simply radiates with a young vibrant energy. Explore classy charity shops, special gift shops, the best place to get a new bike at Julies Cycles or running shoes at the Leicester Running Shop, a high class butchers and dedicated speciality drinks shop The Offie. Then enjoy a brew at one of the fantastic pavement cafés and join the queue at the Tiny Bakery for some of the best pastries and treats around! And keep an eye out for the twice yearly street fair, where this busy road is pedestrianised and filled with crafters, food vendors and street entertainment! 

Channel 4 themselves called this street “the most diverse in Britain”. With its array of retail outlets run by residents from all corners of the world, it’s here that Leicester proudly shows off its cosmopolitan credentials. Known as ‘the world in one street’, you’ll find international food markets and independent grocery stores that stock food from around the globe. There are second-hand stores, DIY, homeware, hardware, stationers, mobile phone, music and fashion shops. Then as you head onto Braunstone Gate and Hinckley Road there are some fantastic bars and restaurants to refuel after you’ve shopped your way round the world! 

The Food Hall butchers offer a large selection of quality meat and poultry. Deli traders have a fantastic variety of artisan cheeses, cooked sliced meats, bacon and local pork pies — ideal for creating a lovely deli-style buffet spread. Two quality fishmongers display a wide selection of seafood, from king prawns, lobster and scallops, to salmon, seabass, cod, tuna and even swordfish. The outdoor market is still the best place to get fruit and vegetables in Leicester at very competitive prices. Stock up to make sure you get your five (or ten!) a day. There’s also a huge variety of exotic produce on offer from a range of speciality traders selling African, Caribbean and Indian vegetables. Here, you’ll also find household goods to add an extra flourish to your home — from carpets and bedding, to curtains, plants and more. 

Named for what is rumoured to be the highest concentration of Indian Jewellery shops in the UK, the Golden Mile is a cultural experience like no other. Where large companies such as Wolsey and the British United Shoe Machinery (BUSM) once stood, now small businesses now fill the space with colour and vibrancy, creating the Golden Mile we know and love today. Belgrave Road is now a huge marketplace for Indian food, spectacular saris and spices, as well as what is claimed to be the highest concentration of Indian jewellery shops in the UK. The annual Diwali celebrations in October are often said to be the largest outside of India and have an international reputation.