International and EU students
Essential shopping
Portsmouth has three main shopping areas:
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Commercial Road (in the city centre, close to the University Campus)
Gunwharf Quays (waterfront complex with shops, bars and restaurants and home of the
Spinnaker Tower)
Southsea (Palmerston Road, Albert Road, Marmion Road, Elm Grove)
Alternatively you could buy everything online and have it delivered to your room/accommodation
before you arrive.
Online companies such as Click2Campus or Gailarde offer a wide range of 'All-Essentials' student
packs.
Bedding
Bedding can be bought in sets in shops like Argos from around £15. Department stores such as
Marks & Spencer (Commercial Road), Knight & Lee (Southsea) and Debenhams (Commercial Road
and Southsea) sell a wide variety of bedding separately. Prices will vary.
Books
Academic texts are available from Blackwells (the Students' Union, Cambridge Road) and
Waterstones (Commercial Road, Portsmouth).
Blackwells offer many book schemes to save students money. Please ask in Blackwells for more
details. Second-hand bookshops are cheaper but will not necessarily have what you are looking for.
You will find many of these shops in Albert Road, Southsea and Fratton.
Clothes
You will need a warm coat for the UK winter. The cheapest places to buy clothes are the various
second-hand shops, where a warm winter coat will cost approximately £15. New coats in the UK
start from around £30 (a £30 coat may not be particularly warm) and could go up to £200 for leather
or suede. You should also buy gloves, a scarf and hat!
Commercial Road offers high-street fashions at reasonable prices. At Gunwharf Quays, you will find
designer label outlets (designer clothes at discount prices). Southsea offers a mixture of high-street
fashions, charity shops and designer stores.
Food
General groceries
Asda (Fratton Road) is a large supermarket. Good selection of food, drink, clothing and household
goods at competitive prices
Iceland (Commercial Road and Palmerston Road) is a frozen food supermarket
Lidl (Goldsmith Avenue, Fratton) is a discount supermarket. Very cheap but limited selection
Sainsbury's and Tesco (off Commercial Road) are both large supermarkets. Good selection of food,
drink, clothing and household goods at competitive prices
Waitrose (off Palmerston Road) is a small supermarket. Higher quality and higher prices
Markets
Commercial Road Market is held Thursdays to Saturdays and sells fresh fruit and vegetables plus
many other household and fashion goods
Old Portsmouth Fish Market is open every morning. Get there early for the best choice
Asian and Halal foods
List of Chinese stores and Chinese Medicine Centres in Portsmouth
List of other international grocery stores in Portsmouth
Kitchen utensils
Argos (Commercial Road) and many shops in Gunwharf Quays sell kitchen sets for reasonable prices.
Cutlery, crockery, pots and pans can be bought separately from department stores (see the
'Bedding' section above). For more specialised items, try Sun Hung Chang in Commercial Road or
Akram Stores in Southsea.
You can also buy kitchen utensils from second hand shops but you may have to shop around to get
what you need. It is also possible to buy them from Cut Price (in either Albert Road, Southsea or
Fratton Road, Fratton). Prices are cheaper but the selection is limited and the quality varies.
Toiletries
All toiletries can be bought from Boots, Superdrug, supermarkets and most chemists. Medicines will
also be available in those shops ('over-the-counter' medications that do not require a prescription
from your doctor). Only pharmacies can give you prescribed medication (Boots, Rowlands, and many
supermarkets have dispensaries).
Other items
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Phone cards: are available from a number of convenience stores such as WHSmiths and
most newsagents.
TV license: You must buy a TV license. You can get this online or from shops displaying the
'Pay Point' sign.