Shopping

The award-winning Queensgate Centre has over 90 stores, including John Lewis, Bhs, Marks & Spencer, Boots, Waitrose, Argos and Virgin Megastore, grouped around brightly lit, spacious malls and squares.

The Rivergate Centre in the south of the city centre and the surrounding pedestrianised streets which link it to Queensgate contain major stores and smaller shops ranging from high street names to designer boutiques.

There are more small specialist outlets in the covered Westgate Arcade leading from Queensgate to the Westgate House department store and surrounding shops.

The first stage of exciting plans to further expand Peterborough’s city centre shopping have recently been revealed.

Developers have submitted a planning application for the creation of a new retail, leisure and entertainment hub at North Westgate with a new Marks & Spencer store and other shops, restaurants, public open space and a cinema. A covered shopping street will link North Westgate to Queensgate.

Peterborough’s covered market offers a typically lively atmosphere and profusion of merchandise five days a week. From time to time there is a continental street market in the pedestrianised city centre.

Throughout the city centre there are cafes, bars and restaurants for weary shoppers to take a break.

Retail parks:

There are a number of ‘retail parks’ near the city centre offering bulky goods such as carpets, furniture, electrical appliances and DIY supplies as well as other products ranging from computers to stationery. Plans have been submitted for a £50 million extension of the largest of these parks, the Brotherhood Retail Park on Lincoln Road, to include more stores and a new restaurant.

New B&Q and Matalan stores have recently opened in the nearby retail park at Maskew Avenue.

Out of town:

The Serpentine Green shopping centre at the Hampton township on Peterborough's southern perimeter is a major shopping attraction, featuring one of Britain's largest Tesco Extra stores together with Boots, WH Smith, Gap, Holiday Hypermarket, Next and Outfit plus coffee shops and restaurants.

Major refurbishment has just been completed at the out-of-town Bretton Centre and work is just starting on a £10 million refit of the Orton Centre, another out-of-town retail development.