Shopping in Worthing

With over 400 retail businesses in its town centre, Worthing offers an easily accessible mix of individual and eclectic shops as well as department stores and the usual names that would be found in a large town or city. The town centre shopping area runs parallel to the seafront, just a street or so from the Promenade, so a day can be spent enjoying both some retail therapy and time at the seaside.

Many of the streets are pedestrianised and with some covered shopping centres and easy parking the town centre offers safe and delightful shopping. As well as the main thoroughfares it’s always worth exploring Worthing’s side streets where some of the towns quaint and curious shops may be found.

Starting on the eastern side of the Worthing town centre there are several specialist and individual shops along the Brighton Road. Heading west and passing over the Steyne and into Warwick Street, the start of the mostly pedestrianised town centre shopping area, there is the addition of a number of beautiful boutiques.

At the end of Warwick Street is the junction with Chapel Road to the north, South Street to the south and on the right behind an elegant clock tower is the Guildbourne Shopping Centre. Straight across is Liverpool Road with the covered arcade of the Montague Centre on the left that leads through to the bandstand in Montague Street. Recent road improvements here have made it a lot easier to cross since the traffic into South Street is restricted to buses and taxis.

Shops, banks and food outlets line Chapel Road as far as the Museum, Post Office and Town Hall. South Street leads directly to the Pavilion and Pier and as well as having a number of larger shops, it has a department store on either side of it. Half way towards the seafront is the start of Montague Street across which is the delightful Royal Arcade that rejoins South Street at the Promenade.

Montague Street is long pedestrianised street and it is here that you will find many of the popular high street names. At the weekend, there is often some form of entertainment; music, singing or dancing in the area of the bandstand and every Wednesday the street hosts a typical town market.

As well as the weekly market, every fourth Saturday of the month there is a Farmer’s Market held at the Guildbourne Centre end of South Street and specialist markets such as French and Italian markets take place throughout the year. Indoor markets are held regularly at the Pavilion and there are numerous food, craft and antique fairs and markets at other locations around the town.

For a break from shopping, there is a great variety of restaurants, cafés and places to eat or drink throughout the central shopping area that suit a variety of tastes. Over recent years, Worthing has developed a popular café culture and there are many bars, cafés and coffee shops where it is possible to enjoy a meal or drink outside and take in Worthing's seaside ambiance and pleasant climate.

There are numerous parades and shop lined streets around the rest of the town in districts such as Tarring, West Hove ,Goring, Durrington, Broadwater that as well as offering local shopping opportunities have a number of interesting and specialist shops. Worthing also has a good number of antique, collectables, second hand and architectural salvage shops scattered around the town.

Whatever your shopping needs, Worthing has it all, for the tourist as well as local residents.