5) Paris, France
Paris is famed for its excellent specialist shopping. These small shops are often grouped together by product range – for example, rue de Seine, rue Jacob and rue du Bac, are all specialised in art and antiques. In addition to boutiques by big name designers like Christian Dior and Yves Saint-Laurent, the Galeries Lafayette department store is an essential shopping stop. With a glass dome and an art nouveau staircase, the architecture of this luxury store is so impressive that some parts are classified as historical sites.
4) Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai can boast over 70 shopping centres – one of these is the Dubai Mall, the fifth largest shopping mall in the world by leasable space. The mall hosts 600 shops and attracts 750,000 visitors every week. Friendly negotiation around prices is the norm in Dubai, so consumers can pick up some real bargains. Either side of the creek are the popular ‘souks’ or market places, where shoppers go crazy for deals on perfumes, spices and jewellery.
Video: Shopping in Dubai: a travel guide by Teletext Holidays
3) Milan, Italy
Versace. Prada. Armani. Those are just three of the major fashion houses that claim Milan as their home. Valentino. Gucci. Dolce & Gabbana. There’s a few more. Milan truly is a fashion capital of the world. Most of these luxury clothing brands can be found around the quadrilatero della moda or ‘fashion quadrilateral’. Beyond fashion, the famous gourmet food store Peck offers an extensive range of Italian hams, cheeses and wines, in addition to their specialty Piedmont white truffles.
Video: Food Scene Investigation looks around gourmet food store, Peck
2) Tokyo, Japan
Technology fans love Tokyo for Akihabara Electric Town, where hundreds of gadgets not yet available overseas are available to buy. For trendy and fashionable clothing – as well as the popular Kiddy Land toy store – Harajuku is the place to be; nearby Takeshita Street is famous for the young Japanese that gather there wearing colourful and creative costumes. Another renowned shopping district is Ginza, home to the Sony building and Mitsukoshi department store.
1) New York City, USA
New York City’s Times Square has become synonymous with the rampant consumerism that is such a defining aspect of American culture. LED displays give the gigantic Coca-Cola and Budweiser billboards a hypnotic glow that millions of shoppers flock towards every year. Shoppers are also enticed by just how big everything is in and around this commercial intersection and the extreme effort retailers put into welcoming their custom. The Toys ‘R’ Us flagship store on Broadway pulls out all the stops with a full-scale indoor Ferris wheel, while M&M’s World references the Statue of Liberty with a 50 foot Green M&M’s girl, in addition to providing a ‘mood analyser’ to help customers pick from the overwhelming number of M&M’s colours available. This is retail-tainment at its fiercest.
Fifth Avenue and 57th Street are also big pulls for shoppers. Big name designer boutiques for Tiffany & Co., Chanel and Louis Vuitton come with big price tags to match, as do luxury department stores Barney’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. Another landmark is the NYC Apple store – the city’s fifth most photographed building.
Video: A YouTube user captures the buzz of New York City's Time Square
