This is a tip for shopaholics. If you want some retail therapy, jump on a Eurostar train to Lille for the day, preferably with a girlfriend. Take an empty wheelie case, and go early.
The Eurostar terminal exit brings you out next to the Euralille Centre, but leave this for later and head for the main town, an easy five-minute walk.
If you have children in the family, the Rue de Paris has about seven wonderful children's shops. The streets of Vieux Lille offer an enticing variety of shops. There is a Printemps department store, and this autumn a new Galeries Lafayette store will open.
Grab a quick lunch, perhaps at Paul on Rue de Paris or Le Pain Quotidien, 33 Place Rihour. A delicious tea can be had at Meert, which you'll find at 27 rue Esquermoise.
Finally, whisk through Euralille, not forgetting the mammoth Carrefour hypermarket with food on the lower floor and household goods and clothes upstairs. Then it's back on the train to reflect that a day trip is really not long enough!
Is this your business?
But the most impressive changes have happened in Printemps, the other department store located one minute away from the Galeries Lafayette.
You are now welcomed by English-speaking hostesses or a personal shopper if you wish to enjoy a fantastic shopping experience. The new store is impressive, displaying fashion items over 12,000 square metres with an entire space dedicated to luxury with shopfits (Gucci, Celine, Dior) and an entire floor dedicated to women’s fashion. The men's floor has also changed, offering a luxurious range of clothes and accessories. On the third floor, there is the new Parcours Gourmand where one can enjoy a typical waffle from Meert or delicatessen from Hediard. The new Printemps store is breathtaking!