Debenhams Browns of Chester is the only Debenhams store to retain its' original branding, Browns of…read moreChester. It has been owned by Debenhams since 1976, yet the store is fairly old being founded in 1780, while it doesn't seem to compare to the older department stores in London, it still is a fairly nice branch, you can enter the store through street-level or through the Grosvenor Shopping Centre. The store is pretty old and you can tell that through shopping inside, they have random sets of steps and ramps all over, so it isn't just one straight/flat level, so do be careful where you're walking to avoid tripping. They had a huge clearance sale on my visit, due to Debenhams' facing difficulties and having to close many of their stores, including this one, I still found many of their prices to be high even after the discount, I found the promotional offers to be inconsistent and it was hard to tell what item costs what as each part of the store/product range would have a different % off. The store did seem a little messy, but it did have some good products overall and it is nice to see they haven't ignored the history, it's a shame to see this store earmarked for closure as although it isn't perfect, it is and remains a nice addition to the town centre. 3*

This is a large department store where you can find really gorgeous bags, shoes, make up and…read moreperfume on the first floor and loads and loads of clothes on the second floor. This place really is fantastic for womens clothes - like debenhams it has all the usual brands such as Jane Norman and Oasis, and it has a great underwear section with huge variety of pretty knickers. It also has a wedding section with loads of higher quality dresses. Of course these come with a higher price tag that the high street stuff that can be found there but this is where I would come to look for something to wear for a special occasion.

Grosvenor Shopping Centre is a pretty unusual shopping centre, the main shopping centre in the city…read moreof Chester (although there are better stores around the town centre), in many ways it is an amazing juxtaposition of old and new as the shopping centre runs through old buildings (with steps everywhere, even in places which make no sense which could be really dangerous when slippy), such as on the balcony overlooking one of Chester's main streets which has some nice stores but again doesn't appear to be highly safe. There are a few coffee shops such as Muffin Break here (I bought one of the single worst food items I've tried in my life from here), but the main bulk of places are within the uncovered streets of the centre, Grosvenor Shopping Centre might not have a lot of stores but it does offer a unique shopping experience (sheltered) which is useful while it is raining, I do feel it is less accessible (to disabled people) than other malls, which could be down to Chester is an old city, full of listed buildings (that could be the reason), as obviously many stores do have steps to go up a level, while the mall its-self is only one floor (the only lift in the mall goes to car parks only) 2* - If you want to shop in Chester, there's a much better selection of restaurants and coffee shops within the beautiful city centre, and while Grosvenor might look good in parts and it provides the benefit of shelter during the rain in most parts, it just isn't as good as it could be with a growing number of empty and unused units.

The Grosvenor shopping centre houses some of my favourite shops in Chester, from H&M, Dorothy…read morePerkins, Top shop to Sweets from Heaven. The centre is well lit and looks very clean and modern. There is a wide selection of shops also including the Perfume Shop, Three, Build-A-Bear, Costa and much more.

The Forum Shopping centre is very small and full of cheapo stores. Somerfield is in there, along…read morewiht T J Hugues, a card shop, health food shop and herbal medicine shop and a bakers. There is very little else apart from access to Chester's indoor market which I have never found to be as satisfactory as other town's outdoor markets (although it does boast a hairdressers in there, and there can't be many markets that offer a hair cut with your vegetables) There are always security guards patrolling the centre, which actually makes you feel less safe as they must have such a visible presence for a reason. Im sure that there must be a lot of shop lifting going on. The only really good thing about the Forum Shopping Centre is that it offers a heated shortcut from home to work, although that is unlikely to work for everyone! The trouble is it's almost impossible to get through there without being accosted by someone trying to sell you insurance or enter a competition to win something you dont want. Also I swear they only have one Best of 80's CD as there is only ever two songs being played!

The forum maybe the value version of the shopping centres in town but still has some stores that…read moreare worth a visit on a quiet day, inside you shops like TJ Hughes, a camping store, claires jewlery shop, a discount jewelery shop and a somerfield. Although i find the best part of the forum is the market attached to the side to it near the bus stands, there are many lil stalls there that do cheap and cheerful things, also has one of few pet stores in chester city centre. I also agree that the amount of security is off putting especially if your a shopper under 40 just having a browse during a break at work or what ever.

I love Next, but since the new one opened on the Greyhound park I tend to find that I spend more of…read moremy time on that one, unless I'm in town and don't want the hassle of travelling to the retail park. The only reason I prefer the other one, apart from the fact that it's bigger and offers more choice, is because it gets SO busy that at times you can barely move and the room between clothes rails to move around shop is really tiny. There's two floors to this one, women's clothes and children's clothes with shoes downstairs and men's clothes and home accessories up stairs. I wish there were more tills as it tends to be the queues that take up a lot of space when you're trying to pass, although the children's section at the back is a lovely area and a bit better spaced out and not as busy. When it comes to their clothes and quality however, you can't go far wrong and the staff are really helpful. It's a just a shame that the shop is so small ( but then lots are in certain areas of Chester city centre due to the old Roman shop sizes, so it's something you have to give up to keep the history in place. ) Therefore if you like more space I'd try the Next on the Greyhound retail park instead, but the staff and products themselves are great in this outlet in the Chester City centre also !!

I'm not the most fashionable soul on Earth, but this store surprised me with a pleasing selection…read moreof high quality novelty t-shirts and belts which were suited to my tastes. I would not go out of my way to shop here although it reminded me that I should keep an open mind as it taught me not all clothing stores that cater for men contain boring and generic designs. Next also supply excellent slim fit suits which are much more suited to my thin frame than regular fits from the likes of M&S or Debenhams.

This is a fairly typical branch of Poundland which is no bad thing as that means plenty of genuine…read morebargains to be found. The only slight drawback with this store is that although there are plenty of tills they are located either side of the front door so the queues of shoppers waiting to pay can impede anyone trying to get in.

I love Monsoon clothes and their sales are well worth the effort of attending if you possibly can…read moreas they have massive reductions on everything, however, I just wish the Monsoon outlet in Chester was bigger. The female fashion line isn't too bad, quite nicely spaced out and plenty of it ( if you're in need of a wedding outfir or special occasion outfit I would always try Monsoon if your budget can stretch to it ) but the children's section at the back is quite limited and everything from 0-12/14 years old is squished into a small section at the back, so if you really LOVE Monsoon children's clothes and can't find anything in store I would go online and check there. That said, the children's clothes and accessories are just gorgeous and any little girl would feel like a princess in their dresses and even their jeans are just beautifully embroidered etc !! I love the shop and the staff are lovely too, but if I had my way I'd make it bigger to accomodate a larger children's section. However, the quality of their merchandise and their great offers during the sales more than make up for it !!

My daughter dragged me into this New Look outlet at the weekend and was pleasantly surprised. We…read moreused to shop at the one along Foregate street but since the weekend this one is one of the must visit shops for any teenage daughter now. There are a few levels though. The ground floor is female adult clothes and on the left there is an escalator for mens and adult shoes. Be warned !!! It's a high escalator and quite steep so if you don't like heights I'd use the lift !!!! The lift is the only way to get down by the look of it, but it wasn't too busy even though the shop in general was so you don't need to wait long at all for the lift. If you want the teenage/generation clothes you'll need to go up the stairs that are near the back of the shop on the right hand side. There was a huge collection of clothes and my daughter went a bit mad and spent a fortune but since we were struggling to find decent clothes for her elsewhere for her in Chester I didn't mind. They also sell teenage underwear, footwear, nightwear and accessories too. The staff were really peasant and curteous and we'll be back there very soon. All in all, if you have a teenage daughter you MUST visit the New Look ( Eastgate street outlet near Thorntons and Next ) as Chester does seem to lack many outlets with a decent teenage range and head upstairs, making sure you've either your credit card or plenty of money as you'll need it ( not because it's expensive, but because there's so much to choose from !! )

I just love Pound Shops, and I always end up losing plenty of pounds, but boy do I save in…read morecomparsion against other stores. I once bought a Po Teletubby for £1 in a shop in York, and I couldn't find anything wrong it.She even had the offical labels attached!! You can buy cheap p.c. games, mouse pads, screen wipes and other such related stuff for a fraction of major retailers. I've also bought: Batteries, Hair Care Products, Stationary,Telly Ariel, and Garden products too. The only draw back is the long queues, lack of tills and hardly any staff. Most of these shops do two for a pound, 4 for a pound and 50p stuff , so look around for these bargains. Some of these stores also sell special buy stuff, that are still pound cheaper than other competitors but you only save about £5. Another thing is, that most are cash only.This could be annoying if you've spent pounds here!!