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As you might expect given its affluent Thames Valley location, shopping in Bracknell Forest is an experience that does not disappoint.
Immediately noticeable is that the town centre shopping experience is a pedestrianised one with Princess Square providing a shopping focal point. With direct access to a milti-storey car park and an undercover, everything under one roof mall, Princess Square offers all the most popular retail names such as Boots, WH Smiths, Principles and Sainsburys together with an array of specialist retailers and cafes with its centrepiece as the ultimate in retail therapy, the department store Bentalls. Customer service is high on the agenda with new initiatives in such areas as promotions and entertainment, car park assistance, child care, security and customer information.
Next to this is Charles Square, an outside shopping square with its signature, 'water clock' fountain, a fascinating visual delight and hugely popular with children looking to cool off on sweltering summer days.
Close by is the Peel Centre at Skimped Hill with a Safeways and large stores such as Halfords and Currys. At the edge of the town centre is the unexpected delight of a street market which opens every Friday and Saturday but has the all season round convenience of being undercover.
The shopping experience in Bracknell town centre is made even more convenient through easy access, ample parking and nearby bus and train stations.
Out of centre shopping is provided in the parishes by small shopping parades catering for local needs, sprinkled with specialist shops and some major supermarket names. The Meadows superstore complex in Sandhurst cannot possibly be ignored for two reasons, namely being next to the world famous Royal Military Academy and boasting the third largest Marks & Spencers in the world.
Hugely ambitious plans are underway for the redevelopment of Bracknell Town Centre focusing on shopping, leisure and educational interests, not only during daytime but as attractions for late into the evening. Supported by nationally known developers, this private sector partnership is one of the biggest proposed developments of its kind in the South East.
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