One in five employees (20.4%) in Cardiff are based in the distribution, hotels and restaurants sector, highlighting the growing retail and tourism industries in the City. Cardiff has a thriving retail and shopping centre, and the City was named as the sixth best shopping location in the UK in the 2003 Experian Retail Ranking, falling to 8th place in 2004. However a major £675 million pounds, regeneration programme for Cardiffs St.David's Centre will create the UKs largest city centre shopping centre.

Queen Street
Cardiff's main shopping thoroughfare is on the pedestrianised Queen Street, where you'll find popular stores including Office, Fopp, Qube and Zara. At the Eastern end of Queen Street you'll also find the Capitol Shopping Centre, home to designer brand stores such as Benetton, Fat Face and Virgin Megastore.

St David's Shopping Centre
Cardiff's main undercover shopping centre offers the choice of over 200 stores and food and drink outlets, including popular department stores such as Debenhams and Marks and Spencer, and chains including the Disney Store, Miss Selfridge and Peacocks.

Arcades
Cardiff's arcades still retain many of their Victorian and Edwardian features and are now home to dozens of unique stores and cafes. All manner of Welsh gifts can be found in these arcades, from handmade Welsh textiles to Welsh love spoons and rugby shirts. Visit Morgan and Castle Arcades for the latest designer fashions in independent stores such as Woodenwood or Chessmen, or rest your feet and enjoy a meal in cafes such as vegetarian café Crumbs, or The Plan, which specialises in organic and FairTrade food and drink.

The Hayes
The Hayes is currently undergoing a face lift and new stores, including a flagship Borders book store, will be opening in 2007. The Hayes is also home to Howell's department store, where you'll be able to find everything from the latest fashions and electronic gadgets to Welsh wine and whiskey in the large deli-section; and keep an eye out for the TARDIS, as Howell's is often used as a filming location for the BBC Wales television series 'Doctor Who'.

Markets
Shoppers can seek out the Victorian Central Market – which offers an assortment of merchandise, from fresh fish to traditional Welsh cheeses, rolls of designer fabrics to mobile phones. Another place to visit for locally grown food is the Riverside Real Food Market which takes place on the Taff Embankment every Sunday from 10am – 2pm. For those interested in antiques visit Jacob's Antiques Market

Wikipedia