10 Best Places to Go Shopping in Torquay

Babbacombe and St Marychurch sit a couple of miles north of Torquay’s harbour. Babbacombe boasts several visitor attractions, including Bygones, a recreation of a Victorian lane lined with shops, and Babbacombe Model Village, whose miniature buildings spread over a 4-acre site. Be sure to ride the Babbacombe Cliff Railway, a funicular that opened in 1926.

In St Marychurch, the shops are located along Fore Street, where you can find a number of independent boutiques. Check out the books in Fables, browse for gifts in Forget Me Not and be inspired to create something from the haberdashery supplies and wool at Knit and Stitch.

Fleet Walk is a 2-storey shopping centre in the heart of Torquay. Architecturally, it is aesthetically pleasing, with impactful colonnaded arches and circular feature windows on the upper level.

The centre houses a wide range of stores, many of them household names. For instance, you’ll find branches of TK Maxx, Sports Direct, Bonmarché, and Deichmann. There are also several dining options including a Wetherspoons pub and fast food in the form of KFC and Domino’s Pizza.

Union Square is a small covered mall in the centre of Torquay. It houses a range of outlets, mostly representing budget retailers such as Peacocks, Wilko, and The Entertainer. If you’re hungry, call into Greggs for a cake or pastry to take away.

Periodically, Union Square hosts special events, mostly aimed at families. For instance, Easter has been celebrated with a fun clue hunt for children and also a colouring competition, while at Halloween, a craft workshop has taken place.

Union Street is one of Torquay’s main shopping thoroughfares. It’s also where you’ll find a weekly street market, held year-round on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Traders set up their stalls alongside the shops, selling food, gifts, plants, homewares, and clothing.

Flanking the street are well-known chain stores such as Primark, Pandora, Vodaphone, JD Sports, Boots the Chemist, Clarks Shoes, and Superdrug. The most important landmark on Union Street, however, isn’t a shop at all – it’s a church. St Mary Magdalene Church, affectionately known to locals as St Mags, has stood here since Victorian times.

Market Street is a shopping street in the centre of Torquay. It contains stores such as a Polish supermarket and a pet store. It is also home to the refurbished Market Forum, the town’s indoor market, which traces its history back to 1852 but has recently been rebranded.

Traders are spread over two floors. Visit Milly Molly Mandy, a craft materials supplier, and music stall Andy’s Records, which sells an extensive collection of vinyl. Call in at Douggie’s Collectibles or VDP Vintage if you’re a fan of antiques.

Cockington Court was once home to an aristocratic family, but this historic building is now open to everyone. It’s proud to cultivate art, culture, and local talent. Part of the space has been given over to craft studios and there’s also a cafe.

Each of these small workshops houses artisans, designers, and crafters, who demonstrate the making process to visitors and sell what they produce. Many of the items make ideal gifts, such as slate cheese boards, hand-blown glass, leather handbags, and ceramics.

Haddon Galleries is a 1-stop shop for paintings, sculptures, and decorative ceramics. This family-owned art gallery occupies a prime position overlooking Torquay’s harbour. They occasionally book featured artists to come and talk about their work. Walk-ins are welcome for those who simply wish to browse.

Among the many beautiful pieces on sale include cold-cast bronze sculptures of wildlife, decorated elephant statues whose sale helps to support conservation projects, and drawings by the talented Quentin Blake, whose work illustrated Roald Dahl’s children’s stories.

The Cheese Press capitalises on the West Country’s reputation for producing cheese of exceptional quality. Located within the Blue Walnut Café, it sells a wide variety of unusual, artisan cheese, as well as traditional accompaniments such as chutneys and savoury biscuits.

Each month there’s a featured cheese and tastings are encouraged. In addition to the regional headliner – that’s cheddar, of course – you might be tempted by Boy Laity, a Camembert-style cheese from Cornwall, Roquefort double Beenleigh from Devon, or Dorset’s version of Manchego, called Crofter.

The Gin Nest is a hub for all things gin-related in Torquay. Tucked inside The Wine Box is a store, distillery, and school all rolled into one. Choose from bottled gins in a range of flavours, including sloe and mulberry, lemon drizzle, passion fruit and mango, rhubarb, and more.

This is also the place to come if you wish to learn about the process of making gin. During a 2-hour workshop session, you’ll use a traditional copper pot still to handcraft a small bottle of gin to take home. If you prefer to drink wine, then hosts Leanne and Paul also offer wine tastings a couple of times each month.

Bridge Retail Park is located to the north of Torquay town centre. Accessible by car, there are around 800 spaces and parking is free for the first 2 hours. Stores here include Dunelm and Pets at Home. There’s also a McDonald's restaurant and a branch of PureGym.

Adjacent is the Riviera Way Retail Park, where you’ll find stores such as Currys and Dreams. It is also situated close to The Willows Retail Park, home to Sainsbury's, Argos, and Marks & Spencer plus Wren Retail Park which has branches of Boots, Home Bargains, and Next.