Stoke on Trent Shopping and Districts

(Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK)



Photo of the Potteries Shopping Centre at HanleyThere are a huge number of Staffordshire pottery factory shops spread all over the Stoke on Trent area, suiting those shopping for Moorcroft pottery, Royal Doulton, Spode ceramics and Wedgwood. Selling mugs, vases and complete dinner services, these discount pottery shops certainly suit bargain hunters.

The shopping in Stoke on Trent has certainly evolved greatly over the past couple of decades, with designer names now collaborating with the old potteries to breath new life into their ranges. Look out for stylish, more contemporary Stoke on Trent pottery designed by Jasper Conran, Jeff Banks and Vera Wang, to mention but a few names. Even television chef Gordon Ramsey has jumped on the band wagon and now has his very own Royal Doulton tableware collection, sold locally.


Picture of central Hanley

Where to Shop

Longton is home to an enviable selection of factory shops, which are conveniently just a short walk away from each other. The Moorcroft pottery is located in the Burslem area of Stoke on Trent, where it has become famous for its desirable 'scraffito' designs.

If you are shopping at the factory shops of Royal Stafford (Wedgwood Place, Burslem) and Emma Bridgewater (Lichfield Street, Hanley), then you may like to personalise the designs yourself. For just a small charge, these shops will let you explore your creative side and decorate your own plates and mugs using special glazes, sponges and paint brushes. Fired soon after, your pottery masterpiece is then available for collection in just five days.

View of Burslem and its Ceramica attractionIn Hanley, the centre of Stoke on Trent, the Potteries Shopping Centre is a large indoor mall with just under 90 different shops and outlets. Hanley is an excellent place to use your credit card, with the majority of shops being located both in and around the Potteries Shopping Centre, on Quadrant Road. The main anchor store here is Debenhams, while other brand names include Gap, HMV, Next, New Look and Primark.

Lying on the southerly outskirts of Stoke on Trent, the Trentham Estate offers a further opportunity to enjoy a spot of retail therapy and features its own shopping village, selling everything from local handicrafts and homeware, to food, antiques and of course, Staffordshire pottery. Also popular and less than a 15-minute drive away from Stoke on Trent is the Freeport Outlet Shopping Mall in the village of Talke Pits. This mall stands on Pit Lane and comprises some 35 stores, including Marks and Spencers and various independent retailers. Festival Park has further out-of-town shops, with its retail park on Cobridge Road being home to large outlets of Boots, Morrisons, Next, PC World and Toys r Us.

Regular markets are also held in Stoke on Trent and have long been an important part of the local shopping scene, being a good place to pick up genuine bargains. Markets are held throughout Monday to Saturday in Stoke on Trent city centre (Hanley), both indoors and out, with further frequent markets taking place at Burslem, Fenton, Leek, Longton, Newcastle under Lyme, Stoke and Tunstall.