One of the main shopping centres in Aberdeen. Here you have all the chain stores which you find in…read morepretty much every other town in Britain! There are not really any unique shops here, but there is a wide range of clothing, cd, toy and beauty stores. There is a very large Boots store over 2 floors which is great. Also Monsoon, Accessorise, Build a bear, Claires Accessories, Tie Rack, John Lewis, Superdrug and lots more. There is also a food court located on the second floor which has several different food stands so you're sure to find something you want to eat. There are lots of tables, but it can get quite busy at lunchtime on the weekends. If you get tired there are a few benches dotted around the place to sit on. All in all an ok shopping centre, but nothing special or exciting, and no different than all the other shopping centres full of chain shops!

From the owner: Welcome to the Academy Aberdeen. We're a little bit different... but we know you'll like that…read more Located in a converted Victorian school building in the heart of the city centre, the Academy has a relaxed, fun atmosphere. We're especially proud of our central open-air courtyard, offering a chilled setting for alfresco eating and drinking from the likes of Nandos, Costa Coffee, Wagamama and our new bar restaurant Rye and Soda. Small but perfectly formed, the Academy houses some of the UKs most exciting brands with both national and local operators. The Academy is...rocking out on a Fender, slurping a barista coffee, loving a spicy noodle fix, sampling Diesel jeans, styling your hair, getting your peri peri on, supping ale, looking Pretty Green, relaxing in a rum lounge and getting on a fabulously British Jack Wills hoody... all in one afternoon. Our mix is eclectic, but who wants to be boring? Come join us, we know you want to...

I was surprised that the choice of things is pretty good. Obviously many things are almost for one…read moreuse but the choice of food is pretty good if you don´t demand a lot. You will find here mainly food and hygiene products. Long lines but quickly going. Not for every day shopping but very helpful especially for tourists. For example we bought here baby bottle brushes (perfect for one week, it broke the sixth day :-)) and some candies and detergent.

I love going to John Lewis before Christmas ,it's such a magic atmosphere there it always makes me…read morewant to stay overnight and pretend to be a small kid again You can find there almost anything! From anything from home such as electronics, beds, carpets, furniture... To beauty, clothes and toys, fabrics and little presents. I'm not sure if it's the best place to dress for woman up to 35/40 years old.. But the home stuff is just lovely to watch for any age group! The only downside I have notice with some products, the quality went a bit down for the price it costs. You would expect a table for almost £1000 to be at least stable and from a good solid material.. Otherwise, I still love going there time to time even just to have a look and their catalogs are full of inspiration :) Regarding the staff, they are always helpful, polite and not pushy - and that's one of the reasons why I prefer to go there rather than other department stores where you can meet unnecessarily too many employees trying to engage conversation with you. I prefer my own time and when I need somebody I will ask and there is always somebody in sight

Positives: It is M+S. Also was there on a 50% off selected…read moreitems sale. Negatives: Clothing was all over the place, incorrect sizes on incorrect hangers. Store felt cramped and they had people sweeping/cleaning with tons of customers in store - poor timing in an already crowded store. Tea-room had a dicebel level louder than a L. Zeppelin concert. But ... it is M+S and I love it. The cakes by the slice were a million calories each and sublime ...

I'm a huge fan of their ready-made sandwiches and pastas in the ground floor foods section. I never…read moreimagined I would rave about a ham, cheese and pickle sandwich, but there is something quite special about the British and their sandwiches. The food sections is quite expensive and products are exclusively branded/produced (?) by M&S, but the selection is large and diverse. Shopping here for food, I imagine, is as close as I get to having a Whole Foods-like shopping experience in Aberdeen. They have some ethical and environment- friendly services and products, i.e. fairtrade coffee and tea and 10p shopping bags. The clothes and home sections on the first and upper levels are rather ordinary. Clothing styles are more traditional and nothing too fashion forward. They have a little bit of everything, mostly basics.

I bought my mother of the groom dress here. However I since realised the colour isn't right. I…read morephoned the store to see if I could exchange the dress to be told no. I realised it was non refundable, but I thought they would let me exchange it. I am very disappointed.

Wonderful place to deal withthank you so much for all your help in picking my perfect dressread more

The biggest Boots in the city centre, where you can find from beauty section to prescription…read moreservice and optician. The selection is quite wide. However I've recently tried to switch to more natural and animal friendly options and those are not so easily found there, unless you have time to read and make some research in advance. They got rid of the Boots kiosks so it's bit harder to print your offers and it's forcing you to get the phone app or rely on the leaflets sent by post. You might also find yourself asked few times during your visit if you don't need any help, which - fair enough they make sure you get all you need, on the other side it can get a bit annoying - a good visibility of staff is more than enough for me in case I need a help to find something . That's right - find - as I don't really rely on their recommendation as they rarely know more than average customer about the products and its suitability to different needs. I just don't get these department stores - they have all the make up matching systems or specialists at each f the make up stands and yet - most of their customers are leaving slightly orange or off their natural shade? I do appreciate their little refreshment section with meal deal, which might get handy after few hours of shopping in town and needing to grab something quickly