Milla Rasanen (Sweden)

I’m Milla Räsänen from Sweden and I’m studying an MSc in Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology. I’m going to share my favourite shopping tips. Bournemouth has wonderful shopping opportunities and you can be sure to find whatever you’re looking for. The town centre has all the major chains, as well as small boutiques. If you’re up for a proper shopping spree, you can always go to Castlepoint Shopping Centre.

Grocery shopping

There are multiple big chain grocery stores such as Tesco, Asda and Lidl where you can find affordable choices. I always go to Lidl when I want a little taste of home with things such as quark or hot-smoked salmon, which can be a bit trickier to find elsewhere. Asda, on the other hand, offers excellent gluten free and vegan options within their large store. I have a sweet tooth and, luckily for me, there is a wonderful little sweet shop called Sweet Thoughts right in the centre of town.

Fashion

You can find all the major high street shops such as White Stuff and Monsoon in the town centre, as well as big department stores like Debenhams, that have a wide selection of different brands. Cath Kidston has wonderful, unique clothes and bags with cute patterns and flowers. I found my absolute favourite handbag at Cath Kidston and they even offer student discount.

Everything for your home

My favourite store for everything you need at home is Wilko. It is situated right in the town centre and offers great value for money. At Wilko I’ve bought pillows, kitchen towels, cleaning supplies and even a plastic Christmas tree.

Stationary

Beautiful stationary makes studying so much more fun. Paperchase is the ultimate location for all your stationary needs. Their products are unique and look cool. I found a glittery pencil case with horses on it, as well as a glittery notebook to make my dissertation notes look more appealing.

Whatever you need, you can buy it in Bournemouth. Whether you’re looking for the necessities or just something fun, there’s a store for everything. Happy shopping!

Milla Räsänen, Sweden, MSc Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, 2017/18