Shopping

There’s no need to travel miles out of town to experience great retail therapy. Blackburn is rapidly establishing itself as a shopping hotspot with a fantastic and diverse range of high quality shops and stores. As well as major high street names you can also browse independent designer outlets and popular specialist shops packed with character.

The Town Centre shopping zone is highly compact and all areas can be easily accessed on foot, by car or public transport. Restored towpaths alongside the canal link the main shopping areas and are a pleasant and environmentally-friendly way of travelling around the town.

The Mall

The Mall shopping centre, currently undergoing a £66 million redevelopment, boasts all your favourite high street stores from health and beauty to toyshops and travel agents. Big names including Debenhams, WH Smith, Argos, HMV, New Look, Boots, Next and Marks and Spencer can be found alongside established local retailers such as Eastham’s Florist and Peter Jackson jewellers.

Tired shoppers can also revive themselves with a cappuccino or a tasty treat at one of The Mall’s six food outlets including Greggs and the Lancashire Tea Rooms.

Visit: www.themall.co.uk for more information.

Click here for a downloadable map of The Mall.

Sudell Cross and Northgate

This is an area of major regeneration which is now home to a number of stylish and interesting shops. Sudell Cross specialises in independent designer stores such as Milanos for fabulous home and giftware, Originals for the latest fashions and Portfolio for arts and craft buys. Check out Mercers, Blackburn’s original department store on Northgate, still packed with everything from hardware to household including the UK’s largest independent toy and model shop.

King Street

A haven for adventurous types, King Street is home to Outdoor Action, one of the region’s largest camping and outdoor retailers and, just round the corner on Heaton Street, is Boulder UK, a climbing centre with a great shop packed full of essential climbing gear and accessories.

Whalley Range Bazaar

Discover the most exclusive Asian styles and the finest exotic ingredients in Blackburn’s Whalley Range Bazaar, a major centre for successful Asian retail. The area boasts more than 70 shops specialising in authentic Asian foods, spices, music, fabrics, fashion, beauty and accessories, and is a bustling hive of activity both day and night.

Blackburn Market

The historic market has been a feature of Blackburn life for centuries and is about to reinvent itself again as part of the multi-million pound regeneration of The Mall in 2009. The current spacious, undercover market has more than 300 stalls including 35 devoted to ‘A taste of Lancashire’, where you can sample local delicacies, and an extensive Fish, Meat and Game Market. Other stalls range from clothing and crafts to cosmetics and confectionary, and no trip is complete without a visit to Walsh’s chemist stall for a glass of traditional sarsaparilla.

Retail parks

Not quite out of town, there are several big name stores located at the edge of Blackburn town centre that are still within easy walking distance of the main shops. Townsmoor Retail Park includes Matalan, Staples, TK Maxx and Boots to name a few, while the 12-acre Nova Scotia Retail Park features a giant B&Q, Pets at Home and Comet. Lower Audley Retail Park offers Mothercare, Maplin, Halfords and Asda.