LONDON HAS always been one of the world's best shopping destinations but never has its superiority been more evident than now. With a strong economy and an encouraging Government, Britain's retail industry is thriving. The style revolution - from fashion to furniture - has spread to Joe Public, and retailers from high-end to high street have become far more competitive at meeting demand for well-designed, good-quality products at lower prices. Exciting consumer goodies are in abundance, and people are shopping with a vengeance: Britain's retail sales totalled ?178 billion (HK$2,296 billion) last year, up 11 per cent since 1995.
The design world has always looked to Britain for inspiration. When London last dominated world trends, in the 1960s, it was purely fashion, led by Mary Quant and swinging Carnaby Street. Today, not only does Britain boast some of the world's most directional fashion talents - such as Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Hussein Chalayan - it is leading the world in product, textiles and furniture design.
London is not the easiest city to shop in, suffering - if that's the right word - from too much choice. Shopping districts are distinctly different from each other in both types of shops and shoppers. While trendy Covent Garden and Notting Hill attract young hipsters, Knightsbridge brings in tourists heading for Harrods, and the West End is full of day-trippers and housewives. Don't let that put you off. There are plenty of gems, offbeat or otherwise, which make every area worth visiting.
COVENT GARDEN: With its European-style central piazza, historic architecture, pedestrianised cobblestone paths and street performers, Covent Garden is London's most attractive and atmospheric shopping district. Its restored, 19th-century Apple Market and network of narrow streets are crammed with an eclectic mixture of fashionable boutiques, speciality shops and craft stalls.
This compact district splits into two main areas north and south of Covent Garden tube station. The south is seen as the 'centre', but north Covent Garden is funkier, with its idiosyncratic specialist shops. The Tea House (15a Neal Street), for instance, is an odorous treasure trove overflowing with tea paraphernalia and everything infusible, including gunpowder-, mint- and Christmas Pudding-flavoured tea.
Across the road, the equally fragrant Angelic (6 Neal Street) stocks candles and candlesticks in every size and shape imaginable. Other specialist stores include The Bead Shop (43 Neal Street), which stocks more than 4,000 beads, and The Kite Store (48 Neal Street), which has more than 100 types of kites, from 'The World's Smallest Kite' at GBP1.95 to a Skytiger Hi-100 for a sky-high GBP800. Other airborne items include yo-yos, boomerangs and frisbees.
Carluccio's (28A Neal Street), run by celebrity chef Antonio Carluccio, is London's best Italian deli, with olives, cheeses, fresh pasta sauces and hand-picked wild mushrooms as well as stylishly packaged own-brand olive oils, dried pastas and panettone.