Outlet shopping is usually the preserve of out-of-town “villages”. While there aren’t really any outlet shopping centres in London, there are some big high-street and designer outlets within the city if the fear of going further than Zone 6 brings you out in a cold sweat.
How outlets differ from normal shops
So what’s an outlet anyway? Well, if you’ve never been, an outlet is a shop or group of shops that sell discounted stock, which is often stuff that’s no longer being sold in the main retail store.
Where are the London outlets?
The city doesn’t have a huge outlet culture—possibly due to a lack of the kind of retail space you might find in far-flung places, or perhaps a they would be overshowded by the history and charisma of London’s department stores. But there are a few dotted around the city.
London Designer Outlet
Most people go to Wembley for football or huge concerts, but it’s also worth a trip for bargain-hunting. London Designer Outlet (LDO) is an outlet mall with discounted brands including Gap, Marks & Spencer and H&M, among others.
The Box
The Box in Hackney hosts designer sample sales each week, labels range from the higher end like Isabel Marant to smaller, underground brands with discounts of up to 80%.
The Clarks outlet stores
Want quality shoes on a shoestring? Clarks has outlet stores in Elephant & Castle, Kilburn, Peckham, Seven Sisters, Wembley and Woolwich selling women’s, men’s and kids’ stock at discounted prices (50% or more), with the best deals to be had on out-of-season stock.
The Galleria Outlet Centre
Just in case you do think a short trip to the burbs is worth it, then head to Hatfield in Hertfordshire (about 30 mins from King’s X) where you’ll find The Galleria Outlet Centre and many, many high-street shops.
Bicester Shopping Village
Even further afield is Bicester (pronounced “Bister”) Shopping Village. This huge outlet mall is crammed with top-shelf names and significantly reduced prices. Luxury brands include Michael Kors, Saint Laurent, Barbour, Coach and Vivienne Westwood. The only catch? It’s a 45-minute train out of London. To sweeten the pot slightly, you can buy a VIP pass bundled in with your train ticket, which can get you exclusive deals when you arrive. It’s also just 10 minutes from Oxford by train—so it might be worth stopping by if you’re making a weekend trip.
Address: Bicester Shopping Village, 50 Pingle Dr, Bicester OX26 6WD
Nearest station: Trains twice an hour from Marylebone
Link: Bicester Shopping Village website
Bargain shopping outside the outlets
TK Maxx usually sells big-name clothing brands for lower prices, and bargainous fancy cookware too. There are large stores in Tottenham Court Road, Hammersmith and Manor House among others.
It’s also worth signing up to brand mailing lists for notifications on sample sales or stock clearance.
And one final cheapo tip, if your favourite store doesn’t have an outlet, have a look to see if it has an eBay web outlet—this is a cheapo writer–tested method, where a £45.00 dress was purchased for £15.00.
Shopping is a great activity during times of not-so-great weather. Check out what else you can do in our guide on what to do on a rainy day in London + other covered shopping options.
