Discover the best places to shop for beauty products, clothing, furniture, DIY and more, based on surveys of thousands of shoppers and experts Which? analysis.
We have surveyed thousands of Which? members and members of the public about their shopping experiences at some of the UK’s best-known stores and websites, as well as with lesser-known brands.
In this guide, we explain more about our shopping survey and reveal the best stores for baby and children’s goods, sporting goods and outdoor activities, as well as the best online retailers for after-sales service. For more store categories, read our guides to best tech and entertainment stores , best fashion, beauty and health stores Y best home and DIY stores .
Note: branded links take you to retailers’ websites.
The best and worst shops in the UK
To help you shop smarter, we’ve rounded up the best stores in each category.
Do you already know what kind of store you want to visit? Click on the links below to find out how they were rated by Which? members and members of the public.
What makes the best stores stand out?
The best stores in our survey typically offer something above and beyond, whether it’s help choosing products, excellent after-sales service or returns, or simply a first-class customer experience.
Value for money is also key, especially for everyday essentials. Our Star Ratings reveal how customers rated each retailer on these measures and more.
These results can be particularly useful if you need to buy a type of product that you don’t usually buy, and also if you’re looking to try new retailers that you may not have considered before.
We also name Which? Recommended providers (WRP) for each category. Only those with the highest customer scores, plus at least four stars for customer service and three for value for money, achieve the rating.
Additionally, we only allow stores to become WRPs if they give customers at least 28 days to return faultless products. We exclude any retailer that provides misleading or unclear information about returns.
- Know more: your online shopping rights
The best baby and children’s stores
Here, we share our ratings for stores that sell baby and children’s products like clothes, toys, and strollers.
You can use the scroll button to check the ratings each brand received in eight categories, including value for money, product range and availability, product quality, staff help/knowledge, and after-sales service and returns. .
Table Notes: The table is sorted by customer score. The customer score is based on overall satisfaction with the store and the likelihood that people will recommend it. Sample size in parentheses. When no star rating is given, the sample size was too small. The results are based on an online survey of 10,588 adult members of Which? Connect panel and members of the public, who told us about 2,559 experiences buying baby and children’s products from UK retailers. The survey was conducted in May and June 2022.
john lewis
The top of the table is john lewis, which dazzles shoppers with five stars for everything except the amount of packaging used and value for money, where it still gets a respectable four stars. Customers love the quality of their products, the range they offer and the friendliness and knowledge of their staff.
Maxi-Cosi
Maxi-Cosi ranks second in the table. Buyers gave it top marks for the quality of its products, its variety and availability, and the value for money it offers.
It was also the only baby and children’s store to be named a Which? recommended provider. This means that it not only performed outstandingly in our survey, but also passed our strict behind-the-scenes checks on its terms and conditions for returning purchases.
joy baby
joy baby comes third. It earned five stars for value for money, as well as a variety of other measures. Buyers go to Joie Baby because they love the cost of their products and their good reputation.
The best stores for sports equipment and outdoor activities
If you’re looking for raincoats or hiking gear, check out the scores in the table below to find the best-rated place to shop.
You can use the scroll button to check the ratings each brand received in eight categories, including value for money, product range, product quality, and after-sales service.
Table Notes: The table is sorted by customer score. The customer score is based on overall satisfaction with the store and the likelihood that people will recommend it. Sample size in parentheses. When no star rating is given, the sample size was too small. The results are based on an online survey of 10,588 adult members of Which? Connect panel and members of the public, who told us about 4,232 outdoor and sports equipment buying experiences from UK retailers. The survey was conducted in May and June 2022.
Rohan
Rohan ranked first in the table and is the only sports and outdoor store to be named a Which? recommended provider. This means that it performed outstandingly in our survey, but also has top-notch terms and conditions for customers who want to return products.
Shoppers love the quality, variety, and availability of your products, as well as your customer service and other aspects like the ease of use of your website. However, it got three out of five stars for value for money.
Very.co.uk
Very.co.uk ranks second in our table. It gets an impressive five stars for the quality, variety, and availability of its products. Buyers also gave it a full five stars for value for money, meaning it outperformed first-place finisher Rohan on this measure.
john lewis
third place john lewis is another good bet to buy sports and outdoor items. It does well on a variety of measures including product quality, availability and range, as well as after-sales service. It collects a respectable four stars for its value for money.
