Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without any presents, if you believe Jo March’s famous opening lines to Little Women are anything to go by, and although, of course, Christmas is about much more than giving and receiving, in our modern world we’re not going to deny that Christmas shopping is a huge part of the festive buildup.
To make your shopping trips as easy as possible, we’ve rounded up a list of shopping centres where you’ll find the essentials. Think stocking fillers, wrapping paper and even one-off handmade gifts – there’s something for everyone here.
Victoria Quarter
Victoria Street, Leeds City Centre | Open 9am-6.30pm
When: Open Monday – Saturday, 9am-6.30pm and Sundays 10.30am-5pm
Where: Victoria Street, Leeds City Centre, LS1 6BE
As one of Leeds’ grandest arcades, the Victoria Quarter boasts one of the most beautiful places in the city to get your Christmas shopping sorted. Home to the largest piece of commissioned stained glass work in Europe and more than twenty individual stores, VQ’s shopping options cover both local independents and high-end luxury brands.
For a festive shopping experience, grab yourself a hot drink from Rabbit Hole coffee and stroll through the arcades, weaving in and out of the alleyways. Maybe you’ll find the perfect painting from Castle Fine Arts, a pair of shoes from Kurt Geiger or activewear from Sweaty Betty that you know they’ll just love. For a post-shopping bite to eat, make sure to check out the three course set menu at Harvey Nichols’ Fourth Floor Brasserie where you’ll be treated to well-portioned and beautifully-presented dishes and a class of fizz for £30.
Find out more here.
White Rose Shopping Centre
Dewsbury Road, Beeston | Open 10am-9pm weekdays
When: Open 10am-9pm weekdays, 9am-8pm Saturdays, 11am-5pm Sundays
Where: Dewsbury Road, Beeston, Leeds LS11 8LU
Hoot recommends: For those looking for a quieter shopping experience, every Tuesday 10am-12pm you can now shop without music, product demonstrations or any other ‘mall activities’.
Last year, White Rose announced it would be offering far more than just a place to find stocking fillers, and now offers a whole day out of festive activities. Start the morning with a trip around the stores, making sure to check out the selection in Flying Tiger, The Body Shop, Sports Direct, Next and Menkind before wandering over for a sweet treat at Oh So Yum! and popping in to meet the big man in red inside Santa’s Grotto.
While away the afternoon with a Christmas movie at Cineworld or get your skates on at the ice rink and see if you can spot any little penguins on the ice. Closer to the Christmas countdown, it’s expected Coca Cola will make another trip to White Rose too, but dates haven’t yet been announced.
Find out more here.
Trinity Leeds
Albion Street, Leeds City Centre | Open 9am-8pm
When: Open Monday – Saturday 9am-8pm and 11am-5pm Sundays
Where: 27 Albion Street, Leeds City Centre, LS1 5AT
Perhaps Leeds’ best-known shopping centre, Trinity Leeds has become a one-stop shop for Christmas presents in previous years, and there’s no doubt that this year you’ll be able to spend hours shopping for the perfect present here.
Whether you’re on the hunt for a new Christmas Day outfit from H&M or Next, or want to find some quirky stationery for the office Secret Santa at Miniso, there’s three floors to explore.
Merrion Centre
Merrion Way, Leeds City Centre.
When: Open daily 6.30am-9.30pm
Where: Merrion Way, Leeds City Centre, LS2 8NG
The Merrion Centre offers a fantastic selection of shops for you to grab presents for friends and family, or just yourself (it’s Christmas after all). Jumbo Records, home to vinyl records of all genres, established itself back in the 70s and is one of Leeds longest-standing indie record stores.
For gifts unlike anything else you’ll find on the high street, there’s plenty of proud Yorkshire independents hidden inside the Merrion Centre. Grab some hot sauce from The Chilli Shop or pop into Blue Rinse to find some sustainable garms, or head to some of the bigger stores like Home Bargains – plus you can even pick up any online orders from the Amazon lockers whilst you’re here.
For football fans, there’s no need to run all the way to Elland Road because Leeds United’s official merchandise store also sits in the Merrion Centre and has the newest kits in-store. Vintage Emporium Blue Rinse second store is ready for you to shop all their used, recycled and reworked vintage.
Find out more here.
St John’s Centre
When: Open Monday-Saturday 8am-6pm and Sundays 10.30am – 5pm
Where: Merrion Street, Leeds City Centre LS2 8LQ
St John’s Centre is the ideal spot to get all those little bits for the perfect Christmas. There’s a huge selection of cards and wrapping options at Card Factory and Body Care always stocks those Lynx Africa sets that it just wouldn’t be Christmas without. There’s also multiple hair and beauty outlets to get your brows shaped in time for festive celebrations and a few different clothing stores like JC Couture, Roman and North West to choose from too.
Upstairs you’ll find the Post Office to send off international gifts (make sure to check the dates for last posts).
Find out more here.
Victoria Gate
Vicar Lane, Leeds City Centre | Open 10am-6pm
When: Open daily 10am-6pm
Where: 44, Victoria Gate, Vicar Lane, Leeds City Centre, LS2 7AU
One of Leeds newest shopping centres, Victoria Gate hosts a huge five storey John Lewis store with floor-on-floor of clothing, beauty, baby and homeware gifting options – and plenty more besides. Anthropologies, & Other Stories and NEOM all have thoughtful luxury gifts on offer, and there’s seven new stores opening in Victoria Gate this Christmas, so there’s going to be seemingly endless places to find the perfect outfit for a festive celebration.
For those looking for somewhere to blow off a bit of steam ahead of the festive period or as part of a Christmas party, you can find gaming experience Boom Battle Bar and rooftop bar and restaurant Issho all within the Victoria Gate building too.
Click here to continue reading the ‘Ultimate guide to Christmas in Leeds.
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