It’s Christmas shopping time!
You’re too late for Black Friday and Cyber Monday - but that doesn’t mean there’s no time left to get that perfect gift for your loved ones.
And there’s no need to rely on your phone to find gifts either. You can head into the real life shops in Birmingham city centre which are bursting with presents.
Although, it has to be said, there aren’t quite as many shops around as there used to. I previously ranked Birmingham's Christmas shops for a festive feature for a news website back in 2015 - just after John Lewis had opened and the shopping landscape has certainly changed since then.
Birmingham boasted of being one of the few UK cities that were home to the big six department stores back then. Of course, John Lewis in Grand Central is no more - and we no longer have Debehams. But town is still full of some fantastically festive shopping experiences in its stores, away from those outdoor Christmas markets.
We took a look at some of the Christmas gift shop offerings in Birmingham’s biggest stores - that’s Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, M&S, Primark and House of Fraser - and ranked our experiences, with the best at the top. So here we go:
1. Christmas at Selfridges in Birmingham Bullring
Fionnuala Bourke
2. Numer One: Selfridges, Bullring
This is easily the number one best Christmas shopping experience in Birmingham city centre for 2023. If you’re visiting town, make sure you pop in and take a look at this wonderland of delight. There are elves wandering around the dedicated Christmas shop on the ground floor packed full of lovely gifts and and goodies to eat and drink. This year’s Christmas theme is celebrating Showtime. So you can take an uber-glam snap against a sparkling backdrop to make your visit extra special. The Selfridges bull is looking pretty cool too. And there’s a dazzling display to greet you on the first floor too. Selfridges certainly know how to do Christmas. | Fionnuala Bourke
3. Christmas at Selfridges, Birmingham
Fionnuala Bourke
4. Christmas at Selfridges, Birmingham
Fionnuala Bourke