Birmingham is far and away the best city in the Midlands for shopping, although the whole ‘being the biggest’ thing should have made that obvious. There are a number of decent shopping centres in the city centre, including the fabulous Bull Ring, and a few other nationwide stores have their biggest shops here. Throw in a great roster of independent spots and some that are well and truly out of left-field and you’ve got yourself a fine city in which to splash the cash (or the contactless, as it is now).