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This Fopp is one of the biggest in the chain, it sells a large range of CDs, DVDs and books. The ground floor has all your chart albums and DVDs as well as some of the main offers available. You can pick up some great bargains such as albums for £3 or less. Downstairs there is the bulk of the CDs with plenty at cheap prices and a good selection of vinyl. It can take a while to get through everything but its worth taking the time as there are some real bargains. This store also has a small café in the corner which is a nice touch.

Vinyl Exchange is located opposite Piccadilly records on Oldham Street in Manchester city centre. This shop purely sells second hand CDs and vinyl with a floor dedicated to each within the store. The CDs are upstairs and there is a huge selection available so you can often find some popular new releases a bit cheaper than other stores alongside some rarer albums that you don’t often find. They sell a lot of promos in the shop which are very reasonably priced, you can pick up an album for a few pounds and singles are often a pound or less. It’s a great shop to pick up a load of bargains and still have change from a tenner.

Piccadilly Records is the main independent record shop in Manchester and is located on the fashionable Oldham Street in the city centre. It has a good range of CDs catering for people of all tastes and is a great place for finding out about new artists. The shop sells a big selection of vinyl as well which is nice to see now that most places are scaling the amount of it on sale down. They also have a good selection of CD and 7” singles as well as selling tickets for gigs across Manchester. This is the best place to go if you want to pick up something that you probably wouldn’t find in HMV.

This store recently re-opened with a fresh approach to running a record shop. The store only sells 100 items of music which are displayed on the back wall of the shop. While this isn’t a lot, what they have there is great and it means that you can take in all their recommendations. All the items have a little description so you can see whether it sounds like something you will like which is a great way of finding out about new music. The store also has a selection of other items on sale such as clothing and books and frequently has in store performances from some of the best up and coming artists around.

This bar is in the fashionable Dray Walk just off Brick Lane and sits next to the Rough Trade East record shop and opposite a number of trendy fashion boutiques. It is well suited to this location and tends to the needs of the sort of people who enjoy spending time in this small street. The bar is dimly lit with comfortable seating and as you would expect is always playing chill out music. Due to this, once you’ve found somewhere to sit back and relax you won’t want to move for a while. They have a small but tasty selection of food available and an outdoor seating area which is nice when the sun is shining.

Spitalfields market has had a bit of a makeover in recent years adding a number of new shops and restaurants. They’ve done a really good job and it has added to what was already a great place to visit. The restaurants are mainly within the main market area of the building at the side and in the middle with some of the restaurants including canteen, las iguanas, leon, giraffe and gourmet burger kitchen, with more opening soon. There’s a nice range of shops with plenty of unusual and independent places. It’s a lovely place to spend some time browsing around or looking for gifts and the main markets are on it has a real bustle to it.

The Light is a retail and leisure development in Leeds city centre. It’s been well thought out with a selection of good quality fashion retailers on the ground floor as well as some restaurants facing onto a hotel. Upstairs there is a cinema, a health club and a great Chinese buffet. They haven’t tried to cram too much into the building so it’s got a spacious feel to it as well as a lot of charm. Due to it’s good mix of retail, leisure facilities, restaurants and the hotel it is busy all day long so it always has a buzz to it.

Covent Garden market is a really special place, it has so much character and the atmosphere is always really special. There is a selection of shops around the outside of the market building which are generally quite small but smart. Inside the building is where the market itself is held, it’s not huge but is nice to look around. There is often music being played inside the building which gives is a really nice atmosphere. At Christmas the place is really festive with a huge tree outside and decorations inside, it’s a lovely place to do your Christmas shopping in style.

This Urban Outfitters store is in the Seven Dials area of Covent Garden. It sells men’s and women’s clothing as well as homewares, gifts and CDs. The clothing is quite varied and can be expensive but there are also some more mid priced brands on offer. They have a nice selection of homeware items that are unusual if you are looking for something you won’t find elsewhere. The gifts are great if you are present hunting with some cool books and other quirky items. They also stock as small range of CDs which are by some great artists that may not be that well known but are generally brilliant.

The borders store in Leicester is one of their out of town format stores which means that it is large and spacious. When you enter, the front of the store is open to the full height of the building which gives makes it feel huge. They have the usual big selection of books as well as some CDs and DVDs which can be pricey but aren’t so bad if they’re on offer. This store also has a Starbucks coffee shop upstairs which is perfect for a break from shopping. Downstairs there is a Paperchase concession which complements the store really well as well as a good selection of magazines including some which are hard to get hold of.