Back to the centres:

Another favourite is the Harlequin in Watford on the metropolitan line. This Complex is strategically placed adjacent to the town centre, featuring all the high street store giants with little or no price difference, but in addition to that smaller less expensive outlets.

The same thing applies to Bromley in south-east London (to be reached by train on the network Southeast) a bit of a drag getting there but sure beats the "clean" tourist machinery of the West End.

Easier to get to and more accessible is Wood Green Shopping City (Piccadilly Line) in north London. A mixture of indoor and outdoor shopping mainly frequented by Greeks and Cypriots who have a high population density in this part of town. You will find an "exotic" shopping centre the Yaoman Plaza located on the Edgware Road in Burnt Oak (nearest tube is Burnt Oak on the northern line but you'll need to catch the bus from there). This Centre features amongst a wide array of "eastern" shops a couple of speciality mainly Japanese restaurants and a huge self catering "food court". Make your way out here if you want to experience merchandise and atmosphere unique to this place.

Another very pleasant "shopping city" is to be found in Kingston upon Thames in south-west London, again to be reached by train on the network Southeast. Kingston is a beautiful "medieval" city located (as the name suggests) on the Thames, and has a lot more to offer than just shopping. Weather permitting, there are numerous street side cafes located along the bank of the river.

And hey if you are crazy enough to have a car during your stay you should go out to Lakeside in Thurrock located on the Thames east of London outside the infamous M25, just north of the impressive Dartford Crossing. This is a relatively new huge complex including a few multiplex Cinemas, amongst other novelties. Definitely a prototype of what's to come on continental Europe.

But then if you do have a car, its also worth going up to Cambridge, Oxford or Reading or the Thames Valley west of Windsor or...... but wait that would be missing the point here.