Our city
Birmingham is a shoppers' paradise, with glossy, modern shopping centres, restored Victorian arcades and a range of markets offering everything from designer labels to second-hand bargains.
Grand Central station at Birmingham New Street has undergone a massive £750m transformation, complete with a shopping centre. The station has 60+ new shops and restaurants, as well as becoming a transport hub for the West Midlands – serving the 170,000 passengers that travel to and from Birmingham every day.
Our Grand Central shopping guide
Top Tips – by English student Sarah Holmes
Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre has over 160 shops. If you can’t find what you need there, you’ll find it in the rest of Birmingham city centre or nearby Solihull. Digbeth is home to the Custard Factory, which houses independent retailers, galleries, music shops and monthly vintage fairs. Another alternative shopping destination, the underground Oasis Market, is where you’ll find independent retailers, music stores, and unique fashion.
All the main high-street stores are here along with smaller boutiques and special interest shops. The Bullring is Birmingham's most famous shopping destination. Built at a cost of more than £500 million, it offers about 160 shops, boutiques and restaurants covering an area equivalent to 26 football pitches in the city centre.
The Bullring is home to the hugely successful Selfridges, whose stunning design is based on an Armani chainmail dress and has become an instant visual icon of Birmingham.
On the other side of the city centre is the lavish Mailbox building, which houses designer stores, boutiques, restaurants, hotels, apartments, businesses and the BBC in Birmingham all under one roof.