Norwich is home to one of the highest numbers of independent shops per resident says Melanie Cook of VisitNorwich.
www.VisitNorwich.co.uk
As city centres go, Norwich has a lot going for it. Firstly, it’s fairly uncomplicated getting to Norwich by public transport with its bus and train stations within walking distance of everything. Locally, First Bus have recently increased the frequency of some routes and introduced a high number of new electric buses. It helps too that bus fares remain currently at £2 per trip!
If you need to bring the car then the city is served by five Park & Rides sites. As you swan up the bus lane whilst the drivers are left queueing, feel smug. Norwich has a good number of car parks but no matter what city you are in at this time of year car parks get busy if you are not out early!
But once here where should we be heading? Statistics from statista.com report that in the UK last year 74% of gifts were purchased online with 46% from supermarkets/discount stores and 42% from department stores. 28% and 27% respectively were purchased from Christmas Markets and speciality shops.
Call me old fashioned but I really really prefer to shop in bricks and mortar stores. I love to touch and see up close what’s on offer – this is often the deciding factor of whether I buy or not. Smell is important too especially at this time of the year when every brand seems to have launched a delectable candle. I also love a friendly welcome and a kindly chat – it goes a very long way – and I appreciate that. But up there as well is the fact that I am supporting local.
The stats say it all, we need to be shopping more in person. If we don’t shop locally, our high streets would begin to lose independent and big stores (we’ve seen the likes of Debenhams and Wilko go already), and the city centre would quickly be washed of its identity. Big established high street stores are important because people want them – they attract people in but to have choice and to have our city centre not looking the same as every other city centre – well, that’s important too. There’s room for independents and high street faves rubbing shoulder to shoulder, complementing each other. New stores in Norwich this year includes Loake Shoemakers on White Lion Street, Søstrene Grene and Pascale on London Street, Flannels and Mango in Chantry Place and B-leaf, Lazy Lobster and E-velo all located in the Royal Arcade.
But we do need to shop in person, to keep our high streets thriving and exciting. Plus, at Christmas there are lots of festive events to keep us happy whilst we shop. Live music, offers and special evening shopping events –you don’t get this online. My tip is to subscribe to store e-newsletters so you are the first to hear what’s on – that way if there is something you want to go to you can invite a few friends along too. Maybe even have a bite to eat and a catch up at the same time.
Our love for shopping centres (in Norwich Chantry Place and Castle Quarter) will never go away and at this time of year their festive season decorations and the hustle and bustle in our much-loved high street favourites such as Apple, Zara, H&M and TKMaxx pulls us in. They also give us copious amounts of places to eat and drink when we need a break from shopping, you can grab a take-away or sit down and savour a great meal. In addition to this, add in Norwich’s regional flag-ship stores like Marks & Spencer.
Getting from one neighbourhood in Norwich to another is a blessing due to its compact medieval street pattern. So, without thinking too hard about where we want to head to, we can go wherever takes our fancy in the moment. And with the huge number of pavement cafes, Norwich’s thirst for coffee means we can rest well in between getting from A to B to C, D and E. We have a great coffee culture here.
I love Magdalen Street for its second-hand and collectables such as Looses. And Tombland and Elm Hill for their historic backdrops and book, antiques, and quirky little shops selling artisan and artists-made gifts.
The Norwich Lanes are again a haven for independents with temptation to be found around every corner. Atwin on Bridewell Alley specialises in high-quality local and UK brands from clothes, lifestyle and skincare to jewellery, stationary and sublime knits.
Moosey Art in Labour In Vain Yard is a very cool gallery with exhibitions where you can buy original art at reasonable prices (they have sister galleries in Islington and Hoxton). Bowhill & Elliott at the top of London Street are the only one-of-its-kind store in the UK where they make their hand-made luxury slippers at the back of the shop and sell in the front.
Two family-run businesses that have been around for generations (so they know what they’re doing) are Dipples on Swan Lane, selling exquisite jewellery, diamonds and watches, and Jarrolds Independent Department store on London Street.
Department stores come into their own at Christmas – do not underestimate their allure. With mood enhancing, toe tapping festive tunes from Bing to Bublé piping out and temptation oozing from every display – it’s most hypnotic. And none more so than at Jarrolds and John Lewis both of which ooze star quality, bedecked gloriously inside and out with glistening Christmas lights.
At Jarrolds over 5-floors (and The Granary on Bedford Street), take your time exploring. Jarrolds – winner of the Independent Department Store 2024 at the Drapers Independents Awards – has 50 departments to dive into including beauty treatments, six places to eat and drink and the most fantastic food hall brimming with local brands such as The English Distillery. You can totally understand why they won. A lot of investment has gone into making Jarrolds what it is today, and it isn’t stopping anytime soon with a spa opening in the not-too-distant future.
At John Lewis I never know where to look first! Everything’s so beautifully presented from jewel-coloured boxes of Prestat handcrafted chocolates to their Christmas department which sends my head into a spin wowing at their festive themed room ideas. According to Good Housekeeping, ‘Kitchmas’ is this year’s trend! But depending on where you look, getting one answer to the Christmas colour trend is quite amusing with every online search coming back with a different answer. So good luck with that one. I’m going dusky pink – seems that’s not a trend.
Christmas markets are another seasonal treat – I love the music and winter food and drink that goes with them. You can find some fantastic unique gifts and decorations for your tree of which many are made in Norfolk. Two of my favourites are Festive Fair at the Forum (28 Nov – 1 Dec) and the Winter Clutter City Market (7 Dec) at Norwich Arts Centre. Try going a bit later in the day so it’s getting dark outside before heading for a Glühwein at Sir Toby’s Beers on the market. You can’t beat it – I say it every year!
Finally, our glittering Royal Arcade goes from strength to strength with new stores opening all the time it seems. And it’s perfect for gift-giving. Think beautiful boxes of pastel-coloured macarons, verdant indoor plants, pretty pink and red vases, exotic scents, hand-crafted jewellery, locally made cosmetics and skincare, and even streamlined design-led electric bikes.
I’m ending with a few more stats. In 2023, around half of the UK population coveted money and gift cards as presents. That makes me feel ever so slightly sad. And £700 million was spent on unwanted gifts and of that £42 million were just thrown away!
These are extraordinary numbers, and a huge, huge waste. So, when choosing gifts this year – think carefully and creatively. Actually, go shopping to browse what’s out there, because – and I could be wrong – I feel that if we did a bit of research, we could all get the perfect gift for our loved ones – gifts they will love and treasure not gifts they will throw away.
Remember Christmas shopping is all in the prep, so carve out some time this year to go shopping – and enjoy yourself doing it, knowing that when you gift the right present, how good will everyone feel?
For ideas of where to shop, eat, stay and visit in Norwich and Norfolk go to www.visitnorwich.co.uk.