H&M

I’m going to fess up, this review may well be the most biased one I’ve written. I am a massive H&M fan. It’s much more my style than New Look and Next, is much better quality than Primark and Peacocks and is much cheaper than Topshop and Warehouse. There are two H&Ms in Bristol City Centre and as far as I can see this is merely because the Broadmead one stayed open while the Cabot Circus one was being built and it is yet to close. The Cabot Circus one is definitely the better one. The womenswear is generally on the ground floor, with some bits on the first floor. Walk in and hang a left and you will usually find some decent sale items, and not just all of last season’s crap they are desperately trying to shift. Recently (April), they were flogging gorgeous summer dresses for £5 and £7.

You gotta love H & M! If you come in at the right time you can get some pretty good clothes at some very good prices.
I used to work in peacocks, and seeing some of the prices slapped on the not so quality garments was always annoying, H& M is only a little bit more expensive bit I think you are getting so much more quality and trend for what you are paying for.
You can also guarantee a hassle free shop, and plenty of choice which is always good.

This branch of H&M is pretty pointless, as far as I can tell. It’s nowhere near as good as the branch at the other end of town and it seems as if the only reason it’s been opened up is to catch the passing trade attracted by Cabot Circus. The men’s section is actually a little bigger in this store, but despite that, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot more on offer. I did manage to pick up a black shirt from here for a tenner today, which was £20 cheaper than the similar option offered in Topman just across the road, but I’m sure I could have found the same thing in the other branch just as easily.

I find it ever so embarrassing to admit, but H&M is still one of my favourite shops. I know, I know — they’re not particularly into fair trading, and the quality isn’t as great as say Topshop or Urban Outfitters, but I love how quickly their ranges change, their bargain prices and their fashionable styles. But despite how I feel about the brand as a whole, I can’t help feeling that the Cabot Circus store lets the side down.
The rails of clothes seem like they’re thrown together: bikinis next to coats, men and women’s ranges stuffed next to each other which leaves the place feeling disorientating even to a seasoned shopper like me. There always seems to a limited range of sizes in this branch, and the sales tend to be below par. The shop assistants are always helpful, but even they can’t sway me from choosing the Odeon Buildings store over this one.