The St Enoch Centre is one of the main shopping centres in Glasgow City Centre. It was opened in 1989. Since then, it has undergone major refurbishments with the biggest job being completed in 2009 costing £100million.

~~Shops Galore~~

The shops are split over 3 levels with a Tesco underneath the centre. There are escalators and lifts linking the floors and plenty of space for disabled people and parents with buggies to navigate around the centre. The range of shops inside is extensive with a few shops being accessible from the outside aswell as from within the centre.

*Beauty/Fashion - Debenhams, Perfume Shop, Boots, H&M, Dorothy Perkins and more. Also a hairdressers.
*Jewellery - Warren James, HSamuel etc.
*Toys and Games - Hamleys, Game, Disney Store and nearby HMV amongst others.

There is also various travel agents, banks, card and accessory shops and even a shop selling model trains, cheap clothing etc. The shops are layed out side by side across both ends of the centre with the newer part of the centre offering the more prestige shops including Hamleys.

~~Access and Parking~~

St Enoch Centre is located just off Argyle Street in the City Centre of Glasgow. There are many entrances including the fairly new entrance just of Buchanan Street (across from House of Fraser), through Debenhams, BHS, a side entrance at BHS and also a main entrance next to Nandos/Boots. It is a short walk from Central Station and Argyle Street Station, bus stops and also St Enoch Underground.

There is indoor parking within the shopping centre which is split across many levels with space for over 1000 cars. The carpark can be access on Maxwell Street. Parking is priced at from £1.20p/h up to £15.00 for an overnight if required. On a Sunday, parking is £2.00 all day.

~~Opening Times~~

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 0900 - 1800hrs
Thursday late night shopping 0900 - 2000hrs
Sunday and bank holidays 1000 - 1800hrs

The carpark opens 1hr prior to the centre and closes 1hr after the centre closes.

~~Food Glorious Food!~~

If you are peckish when out shopping, you will find something to suit everyone in the St Enoch centre. Debenhams and BHS have their own independant restaurants/cafes offering delicious breakfasts, meals and cakes. Along one end of the centre, there is an OBriens open style cafe serving sandwiches and drinks. On the ground floor, there is also a Millies Cookies and a Costa Coffee.

The first floor offers a huge food court with seats spread across a large area and this extends to upstairs where there is also some little kids rides. The food court offers independant food providers such as McDonalds, a small KFC, Burger King, Wongs (Chinese Food), Di Maggios (Pizza/Pasta) and a sandwich and cake shop. The prices are pretty much average compared to other shopping centres and you can use special offer vouchers in the likes of McDonalds and Burger King, Outside the centre, there is a Nandos restaurant and a Greggs if you want something light to eat.

~~Facilities~~

There are a few seats throughout the centre and also bins for rubbish. There are toilets on the 3rd floor (stairs and lift) as well as baby changing. Disabed toilets are located on the 2nd floor need the food court. Toilets are also present in stores such as Hamleys, Debenhams and BHS. There are a few cashlines around and stores accept the usual cash and cards. It is worth noting you can purchase St Enochs gift cards which cover a wide range of shops.

~~My Thoughts~~

I visit Glasgow perhaps twice a month and usually with my sister and the kids for a bit of lunch and shopping. Whilst I adore Buchanan Galleries, it contains very expensive shops that I cannot afford at the moment. St Enoch Centre is so conveniently located and we always go here first as it is so close to where we get off the train.

~~Good Job!~~

Now, I don't think there was anything wrong with the initial layout of the centre but I suppose everything needs updating. The centre has a glass roof offering natural light and is massive in terms of height. The main part of the centre has been updated somewhat and offers neutral decoration and beams throughout. The newer part of the centre is well thought out despite some shops still being empty.

We almost always enter through the new part of the centre which is quite retro with cool chairs and bright, bold coloured walls..completely different from the older part of the centre and quite contemporary and modern. There isn't any natural light in this area and it does appear quite dull as you walk up to the middle of the centre and into the open. Escalators operate here taking you up to Hamleys which can be accessed from 2 entrances.

Christmas is one of the best times to visit the centre as they decorate it so beautifully that myself and my son usually sit amazed at the decorations which range from gorgeous rows of fairy lights to lit up reindeers and tree baubles that you can actually sit in! I took photos last year as the lights and decorations were so spellbounding. The facilities are clean, the centre is clean and tidy with plenty of lighting and quite warm.

Overall layout 4/5

~~What To Do First?~~

Usually when we visit here, we are there to go into certain shops. Debenhams is split across 5 or 6 floors (can't quite remember) and has undergone reconstruction inside. The store sells everything and the cafe is amazing for breakfast. The best part is the beauty and perfume section which offers everything from Benefit to Lancome and Dior..amazing! Boots has changed recently and is now over 1 level with Tesco underneath but still offers a wide selection of goodies.

I wouldn't say that there are many quirky shops and certainly no fancy boutiques like Buchanan Galleries offers. If I was looking for clothes for myself, then I would look elsewhere. Fair enough, H&M and Dorothy Perkins aren't too bad but a New Look would go down a storm. I find the clothes in Debenhams and BHS either too expensive and too old for me! For my fiance and my son, there is good choice with shops selling tshirts and jeans and also various toddler clothes are reasonable prices.

I feel for a shopping centre, there are just too many travel agents and they are rarely busy as is the overpriced hairdressers. The Disney Store is another shop which has been revamped and although still ok for the kids, it has lost that Disney feeling for me but I don't mind going in with Ryan for a look about and a smooch around the sale section! The opening of Hamleys certainly brought a lot of customers to the centre. It takes pride of place on its own floor overshadowing the centre and offers toys, displays, teddies and sweets. It is a kids and adults heaven and we love visiting though it can prove rather expensive!

We occasionally wander into other shops in the centre such as Body Shop, Perfume Shop and Game if visiting with my fiance. Although the shop selection is good, it isn't brilliant and could be improved. Debenhams is certainly the largest but with nearby House of Fraser, HMV and John Lewis, it has competition. There is a delicious Thorntons shop with a huge chocolate fountain though not everyone appreciates Thorntons and I feel a little confectionary store or newsagent inside the shopping centre would be great for picking up snacks for the kids whilst shopping.

Overall shop choice rating 4/5

~~Mum, I'm Hungry!~~

If it was just me and Keith or me and my sister out shopping, we would normally go to a restaurant outwith the centre. If its raining and we are pretty skint from buying toys and stuff, we normally approach the food court. Normally we opt for KFC as we can get a bargain bucket to share out between us and the kids or McDonalds for happy meals. Recently we have been going to Burger King as we had some discount vouchers in the post and have made considerable savings. Burger King has its own little area in the food court sealed off from the rest.

The food is always of a high quality and where you choose to buy from will depend on your budget and tastes. Di Maggios does a good deal for around £5.00 where you get pizza/pasta/chips and a drink which isn't bad and the food is always hot and tasty. There are plenty of tables and chairs though it does get busy especially at weekends and near Christmas. The tables are cleaned by cleaners but you are expected to dispose of your own rubbish.

Greggs being outside offers a cheaper option when the weather is nice. Costa does some yummy hot chocolates and other drinks at a premium cost. Although there is a Nandos outside the centre (well attached near enough), I feel there could be another restaurant to give the option of perhaps bar style meals and snacks. I think this could bring more customers but there are plenty of restaurants outside the centre. Millies offers some delicious cookies and ice cream and we indulged (again) the other day!

Overall food rating 4/5

~~Busy Busy~~

St Enoch Centre does get really busy during peak times such as Saturdays and in the run up to Christmas. We once waited 20mins for a lift with out son in the buggy in December so unless you fancy a long wait or trudging down busy stairs, I would avoid it in December when you have young children with you unless you are sticking to the ground floor. Personally, I love coming in for Thursday late night shopping with my Mum and sister especially near Christmas as the twinkly lights combined with a dark and sometimes snowy exterior is somewhat enchanting. Really what I am saying is visit whenever you want but be prepared to face queues!

~~Conclusion~~

If visiting Glasgow for shopping or looking for somewhere reasonably cheap and tasty to eat or just to get out the rain and wind then St Enoch centre is the place to be. There is plenty of shops to entertain the kids and adults. On our last visit, there was a huge bouncy cancel upstairs and at £2.00 for 5mins, it was expensive but kept the kids entertained for a bit before we hit the shops again.

I do think the money was well spent on refurbishing one part of the shopping centre without the other part looking outdated or dull. Everywhere looks clean and fresh. I would like to see the empty shops filled up but this could take time and of course more money. Overall, a worthwhile shopping centre to visit though don't expect amazing shops (except Hamleys and Debenhams that is!).

Thanks for reading!