Best department stores May 2012

Department stores rated

The UK's biggest shops survey rates nine department stores to give you the best stores for buying all the essential products for your home and wellbeing.

Department store review shopping bags

The Which? satisfaction table of nine department stores reveals the best and worst in the UK, as part of the Which? shops survey of more than 11,000 people. 

Sign in to see the shops ordered by customer score and to see how customers rated each shop on factors including price, product quality and service.

Our table below includes all the big department store chains - so you can see how John Lewis has fared against rivals Debenhams and House of Fraser, and against other department stores such as Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. Independent department stores are also included in the table.

The table reveals customer scores and ratings for department stores. Logged-in Which? members can discover which are the best and worst - if you're not already a member, discover the benefits of getting full access for one month for £1.

Department stores reviewed
ShopProduct rangeProduct qualityServiceStorePricingAfter sales and returnsCustomer score
BHSSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
DebenhamsSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
FenwickSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Harvey NicholsSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
House of FraserSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Independent department storesSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
John LewisSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
Marks and SpencerSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content
SelfridgesSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only contentSubscriber only content

How Which? rates department stores

The department store category was part of the Which? shops survey, the biggest one of its kind in the UK.

For the survey, Which? surveyed 11,274 members of the general public online between February and March 2012 about the shops they had visited in the past six months. Shoppers were asked how satisfied they were and how likely they were to recommend the department stores they rated. These factors make up the Which? customer score.

Our survey respondents also rated 13 factors covering price, service, store environment, product quality, product range and after sales. These are shown as star ratings in our table of department stores and are made up of the factors below:

  • Service – staff knowledge about products, staff helpfulness and staff availability
  • Store environment – ease of finding products, tidiness of store, store environment and queuing time
  • Price – price, sales and special offers
  • Product quality
  • Product range – range of products and products being in stock
  • After sales and returns

Other Which? shopping surveys

Take a look at the best and worst shops from the other categories in the Which? shopping survey as voted for by more than 11,000 shoppers.

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