CENTRAL LONDON SNEAKER SEARCH WALKTHROUGH

Start at the worlds biggest Footlocker on Oxford Street by Bond Street Tube Station (take the Jubilee or Central Line on the Underground)

Lots of Europe exclusives, and stuff gets slashed in price during the sales.

On leaving the store turn left and then almost immediately left again past the jeweller on the corner to find yourself in South Molton Street.

It’s a pedestrianised shopping street with a couple of “Probe” account stores who get/got stuff like the first Woven releases.

On the left side of the street is  Browns Focus and further down on the right is Poste. Both have a limited range of Nike’s more

fashion orientated styles, whilst Poste also stocks adidas, Puma etc alongside casual and formal shoes.

Retrace your steps back to Footlocker and this time turn to your right outside the store and continue along Oxford Street towards

Niketown London at Oxford Circus. Pop into JD Sports on the way.

Niketown is big on show but until recently low on substance. Stock much improved and you will find stuff here that no-one else has in UK

From Niketown continue in the same direction along Oxford Street and for some reading material pop into RD Franks fashion bookstore about

50 yards up Great Titchfield Street on your left. They have a wide range of current Japanese style/fashion mags and usually have a selection of the Sneaker specials too.  

Not particularly cheap, Japan Centre Book Store at Piccadilly Circus is cheaper plus you can get some nice food too.

Back to Oxford Street and continue passing JD Sports (again), First Sport , and Cobra Sports.

Turn right here into Berwick Street if you want to check some of the best record shops in London.

There are loads all the way down. Selectadisc, Reckless, Vinyl Junkies etc.

Continuing along Oxford street you will come to a junction on the right with Wardour Street.

Couple of hundred yards down Wardour Street on the left there is a restaurant called Soho Spice with an alley down the side called St Annes Court.

Footpatrol is here. Footpatrol is great. Go to Footpatrol.

Back to Oxford Street again, and when you get to the junction of Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road (south) Tottenham Court Road (north)

look to your right and you will see a MASSIVE bilboard advertising hoarding.

Head towards that and then turn left past the Rouge lapdance club under the poster into St Giles High Street and follow around

(check Major Flavas on the way for all your US promo rap & R+B vinyl action) past the church  the pub and at the Christopher Wray lighting store,

cross over Shaftesbury Avenue and you will see opposite a pedestrianised street called Neal Street.

This is a VERY good sneaker shopping street.

Sole Trader to your left next to Offspring, with Focus next to that. Down to the junction with Shorts Gardens

and turn right. MyTrainers is on your left with USA/Japanese imports for reasonable prices. Turn left out of MyTrainers and StussyStore London

is just over the junction in Earlham Street.

You can find a map of the area here.

Covent Garden Street map

Get back to Neal Street keep on trucking and you will hit another Footlocker just before the junction with Shelton Street  then further down over Shelton Street a Size? store

with more stuff and an adidas Originals store in the basement.

Oh yeah and Fila Town (or something) next to that.

You can do this in 90 minutes or so and you will see almost everything available in Europe currently plus several

store exclusives.. Just budget for 30-50% higher prices than USA.

 BUT

 if they tell the store the items are for export outside EU countries you can get a retrospective

 refund of the local sales tax of 17.5%. It is included in all sticker prices

 but refunded only after you leave the country.

 e,g Air max 95 price UK pounds =

 100.00.... Less VAT tax = 85 UKP or $128.You take your chances bringing them

back into USA (import duty/taxes) but make sure you ask for "TAX FREE"

Purchase forms everywhere you go.

TAX FREE ALLOWANCES
If you reside outside the European Union, you may reclaim VAT on goods purchased in the UK which you are 'exporting'.

Not all shops participate in this scheme, but if they do, they will supply the appropriate forms on request.

If you are a resident outside the European Union, you should produce the forms and goods to Customs

 Officers on duty in the Departure Lounge in the Terminals. A Customs Officer will then stamp the form and

hand it back to you.

The form should be returned to the shop where you bought the goods and the shop will then forward your VAT refund to you.

Please note that HM Customs do not refund your VAT to you.

It is a requirement for claiming back VAT that the goods and the VAT reclaim form must be presented together to

the Customs Officer.

This process takes place so that export of the goods listed on the form can be verified.

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