Jenners

Imagine that 80’s movie Mannequin, except when these ones come to life, they’re Mean Girls and that basically sums up my trip to Jenners (and unveils my guilty pleasure movie picks in one swoop).
I’ve been hitting a lot of these big box spots this week, solely for the speed of it and because i’m picking mostly basics… and I have to say, the experience has reminded me why I avoid these places in the first place.
Straight out of the gate, let me be clear: parts of this store are STUNNING. The exterior is beautiful and the main room with it’s lovely balconies dripping with fairy lights is very whimsical. It would be a truly magical place… if on those balconies, there was something other than bored looking employees.
I came in to do a return (that’s a whole other story yet to come) and pick up a few tops. I wandered through three or four different rooms, and walked by at least 10 employees with nothing more than a glance. In fact, one of the people I asked actually looked offended that I interrupted her conversation with another employee.
Look, I get it. I did the retail slough in university and remember how listening to elevator music day in and day out can get to you, but at the end of the day: you’re in customer service. For a place that is insanely well staffed, their service was laughable. After the second rude response from an employee, I gave up entirely on looking for this one specific brand and left the store.
The only exception to this seems to be the skincare/​cosmetic gals. I tip the hat to the ladies who work the Clarins counter downstairs because their customer service is and has always been so top notch, I wish 1. I could make an entirely separate page for them and 2. that that same vibe extended up the stairs to the clothing department. Until it does, I highly doubt I will make a point to visit here again for clothing.

Jenners is beautiful, as a building to explore and admire (particularly around Christmas time). There’s always something to catch my eye when I’m in, but sometimes I just wander round looking at the building! It’s an Edinburgh institution, and I now notice they have a new (to me) Valvonna café on Rose Street entrance. Jenners is great for browsing, personal beauty consultations, gift shopping and coffee.

Went to the restaurant in jenners and must say was left slightly disappointed. The food was maybe slightly above average (what I had at least) but the hot chocolate and service were both very much below average. I’ll keep it short and just say I wouldn’t go back, but didn’t have a horrible experience while I was there.

‘Jenners’ is now just like any other House of Fraser store out there, albeit in a grand building. I was looking forward to coming here as i’d heard great things about it but unfortunately I felt like it was very run down and old fashioned… I struggled to find any clothing which I would actually wear and after about 10 minutes decided to leave very underwhelmed. I’m sure it was once a very elegant department store but for me it is past its best.

I visited the 2^nd floor jenners Edinburgh restaurant with my family, we had afternoon tea with which we were served cream which was not fresh and smelled repugnant, unfortunately my partner has no sense of smell and had eaten his before we were aware.
we alerted the staff who agreed it had turned and told us had been left out from the morning before and overnight by another member of staff which is completely unacceptable, but what is more unacceptable is my partner being violently sick when we arrived home. i emailed them to let them know and was told they would investigate
i then received this email basically telling me i was wrong
Without Prejudice
I write further to your recent visit to our restaurant in Jenners of Edinburgh, where you were concerned about cream scones served to you and your partner.
At Massarellas we pride ourselves on very high standards of food safety and hygiene and take great care to ensure that we operate with due diligence. I can assure you that a complaint of this nature is taken extremely seriously and that it has been thoroughly investigated.
The afternoon teas are made to order and the cream supplied for the scones was well within the use by date and, as is standard practice within the restaurant, had been kept refrigerated until it was required for service. Our records show that all refrigerators were operating at the correct temperature and that a number of afternoon teas were sold using this batch of cream and there were no other complaints or reports of illness from any of the customers who ate them.
I can only apologise that you have had cause to be dissatisfied and I do hope that this will not deter you from visiting our restaurant again in the future.
I am so angry with the service i received and the way in which my complaint was dismissed,
i have been to Jenners on many occasions as i live in Edinburgh and it was an amazing place to enjoy lunch or coffee, but im afraid i have paid my last visit to Jenners, sadly i think its the end of an era for me but also i feel its the end of an era for the wonderful Jenners that we once loved but is no more!

I bought some Salt & Pepper Grinders & a Duvet Cover. I’m very pleased with them.
I checked out the Valvonna & Crolla Food Hall too and thought it was amazing. It had a great selection offline Wines & Spirits, some of which are stupidly expensive, I.E. The Lagavulin 16yr was rices at £70.00 for one 70cl bottle.
Hazel in «Buy & Collect» was an angel and so helpful.

Previously one of the last few independent department stores in the UK, Jenners is now a branch of House of Fraser, so you can expect the same customer service, product range, etc. Here as you would at any other branch.
If you’re visiting a city, especially with one that has as much to do as Edinburgh, a trip to House of Fraser would not normally feature on your to-​do list. Jenners is different though. The interior is beautiful all year round.
It’s like Liberty in London in that’s it’s worth looking at just once.

O. M. G. I know I’m sometimes easily impressed, but please someone tell me how they got that 3 story tall Christmas tree in there!!! The store itself is something like 5 or 6 floors of wonderful goodies. If I’d had more time, and no doubt more money, I’d have spent a little more time here. But as it is I took some snaps of the tree, perused a few floors and moved on. One could certainly spend some serious time getting around this place.

On Princes street this shopping centre has everything that you will ever need is under this one roof.
This is not like the house of Fraser in Glasgow it has it’s own character and charm with original features.
l have not fully explored all the outlets but will one day there is a nice café upstairs Valvona & Crolla café that l have been to on several occasions.

A House of Fraser in Edinburgh.
Yes, its a Department store and normally it does not impress me much, but considering that this House of Fraser is located in the middle of the center along Princess street and in a fantastic old building.
It offers clothing, accessories, toys and games, beauty counters…
Must confess that I am glad that this store has a toy and game department. Its so hard to get hold of proper games in the Edinburgh area. I buy what I get!
The staff is really polite too. Making you welcome…

I do like this rabbit warren of a department store, the architecture, food hall, balconied hall, Valvona and Crolla. A joy to visit whenever I am in the city.

I have to confess, I love Jenners! I hate Debenhams normally, Fraser’s here is pretty rubbish and John Lewis is still on my watch list so hence Jenners is getting 5 stars.
Why I love it —
Staff are great
Proper cosmetics counters and you get loads of freebies
Fantastic underwear department
Recognition card (points rack up quickly!)
So my first point — staff. I am often in here and staff are really great and go the extra mile. I’ve had staff arrange orders and give me discounts on products before the sale starts (‘it’s online so although it doesn’t start in store till tomorrow, since you can’t make it in, I’ll apply the discount now’).
I love the cosmetics counters too — I’ve spent close to £100 in Debenhams before and not even had so much as a 5ml sample but in Jenners, the girl gave me tons of little samples (ideal for travelling) of things I use and also some new products to try. This has been consistent across brands too so its nice if you buy a gift such as perfume and get a nice gift wrapped present and little bag stuffed with mini’s (my mum was well impressed with all the little extras she got with her present last time).
When the sale is on — there is usually the 10% discount applied to cosmetics too. The recognition card used to be a credit card only but now there is also a simple points card and somehow I’ve racked up a free £5 voucher in a short space of time (and without going mental whilst shopping).
The underwear department is fab — tons of brands — Freya, Panache, Fantasie, Chantelle, Calvin Klein, Elle Macpherson, and many more and a brilliant range of sizes. This section never disappoints and I’m a frequent shopper here.
Ok, so the layout can be tricky to navigate. It has taken me two years to stop being confused and to end up in underwear without ending up in food, but once sussed then its easy to crack on with the shopping. Jenners does attract many tourists so shopping during off peak times is pretty stress free, rather then heading here at the weekend. It is an old building and there is some pretty great period details — it does for me lack the wow factor of Frasers in Glasgow, but that is a much bigger building and the centre Christmas tree over the Festive season does give it a wow factor.
So, I love Jenners, its my go to place in Edinburgh and if I am looking to spend my precious cash, then I would rather spend it where I receive good service and some little perks for shopping here…

Jenners — does it really need a review?
Now listed as «a House of Fraser store», Jenners still maintains a bit of its own integrity and uniqueness. Every time I visit Edinburgh, I have to stop into the Jenners haberdashery department as it’s a great one. While a bit high on price (even for an upper end department store), the button selection is top-​notch and the yarns and sewing supplies are plentiful.

The famous Edinburgh department store (now part of House of Fraser) retains much of its charm due to its external grandeur and internal maze of staircases and floors.
There’s a great choice of brands as you’d expect, erring towards the middle classes. Its clothes sections are generally better than John Lewis, although I’d say that JL betters in pretty much every other department.
Jenners does however have the upper hand with its location and also has two Valvona & Crolla cafes.
Overall, a very good shopping experience in a store that remains proud of its Edinburgh roots.

Jenners est un immense et sublime magasin tant par son architecture que par le choix qu’il peut offrir à ses clients. Cependant les tarifs sont assez élevés mais la qualité est au rendez-​vous.
Attention vous êtes filmez
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
J’adore leur sapin de Noël, il se dresse droit et majestueux au centre d’une des grandes salles du magasin. Vous pourrez apercevoir aussi un immense teddy bear.
(Voir photo ci-​dessous) (Voir photo ci-​dessous)
Pour que votre maison se pare de ses plus beaux atouts au moment des fêtes de Noël et pour que le Père Noël arrivent chez vous dans les meilleurs conditions offraient leur les accessoires indispensables.
Après que le Père Noël époussette sa barbichette il aura besoin de déposer les cadeaux à la bonne personne et pour cela il aura besoin des grandes chaussettes que vous accrocherez au sapin de Noël.
Photo link:
Photo link:
Et pour que votre demeure devienne un vrai palais de fête, pour créer la magie, le merveilleux et les instants de joie qui fait briller les yeux de tous les enfants n’hésitez pas allez faire un tour au rayon Christmas du magasin ou du site (
)
Au rayon décoration de Noël (
), vous trouverez votre bonheur car n’oubliez pas qu’autrefois, les maisons se paraient symboliquement de verdure (le houx), de chaleur (la bûche) et de lumière (torches et bougies) en opposition avec la nature comme morte, le froid et la nuit de l’hiver, pour fêter le solstice d’hiver.
Faites de même.

Alt ehrwürdiges Kaufhaus mit fantastischer Innenarchitektur in exponierter Lage. Unbdingt empfelenswert.

Jenners is a beautiful big department store on Princess Street. It has a huge centre which boasts strong, wooden balconies giving an extremely impressive feel to the place.
The moment I walked in it reminded me of House of Fraser in Glasgow. Jenners is a one stop shop for everything good and pricey. From cosmetics to designer clothes, watches to aftershaves — this place has it all. I recently bought a couple of shirts from the casual men’s clothing section. While it is rather pricey the products are always the best. Designer names and current styles, this is the kind of shop I would head to with some birthday money or a wee bonus at work!
If you’re off Christmas shopping this could be the place to blitz it in seriously quick time. Just remember that you may be paying a little more than normal, but the ease of access and environment in which you buy makes up for this.

Jenners is one of those familiar buildings that makes you feel contented and happy as you walk down the main thoroughfare of Princes Street, because it just looks so wise and established and steady, unlike a lot of the fad orientated retail that has come and gone around it over the years.
It was bought over fairly recently by House of Fraser, however the authenticity and feel of the shop has remained, although I always feel it’s a shame when family-​run businesses are bought over. Jenners’ interior is traditional, and has that nice, homely feel of an old school department store, however it has a lot of modernity to offer, which I first and foremost take advantage of in the women’s fashion floor. There are a really good mix of high street brand names, and smaller, slightly different labels.
Everything you’d expect from a really decent department store is here, plus I always look forward to the towering Christmas tree they position in the middle of the store during the Xmas period. I always enjoy the fact that despite having visited this store billions of times, it still seems like some sort of neverending labyrinth of escalators and stairs when you’re trying to figure out where you’re going. This might annoy some people, I find it quite entertaining.

I have to agree with previous reviewers when they say that Jenners has a bit of an old lady feel about it.
Every single time I have been, the place has been over run with the older generation at the Lancome counters, which takes away from the designer feel of the place. Not that I am saying in any way that older ladies shouldn’t be allowed to shop, far from it! But the cosmopolitan feel of this huge department store is lost as the familiarity of this previously family run building comes into play. This seems to be the poor man’s Harvey Nicks.
I could walk around here for hours and still be lost. I managed to find the shoe section, which is quite small and frankly unimpressive, and the ‘young persons fashion’ area, which is decorated with silver CD’s like a teenagers bedroom. I wasn’t really feeling it at all, although I did pick up a cuter than cute Therapy skirt for £24 from the sale. The vibracy of a designer boutique just isn’t there though and it all feels a little stifling to me.
I’m sure you would find what you were looking for in here eventually, but frankly, I can’t really be bothered looking.

I wish Jenners would sort their staircases out. Don’t get me wrong, the original features and layout of the beautiful old building do give a lovely elegant feel to the place, but it’s really annoying when you’re trying to find the loos/​exit/​shoe department and no matter which route you take you always end up in the bedding section.
That aside, this place is gorgeous. If I had to sum Edinburgh up in a single shop, it would be this one. It’s right on Princes Street (or Rose Street if you’re coming from that direction and want to be picky), so you can’t miss on the city centre skyline. Although it doesn’t have the same degree of internationally-​reknowned street cred of nearby Harvey Nicks, I much prefer it. For starters, you can walk through the door and be greeted by a smile and/​or hello from the nearest member of staff, as opposed to being looked up and down from underneath an overly-​groomed eyebrow and then ignored because you’re clearly not rich enough to be worth serving, as is usually the case in Harvey Nichols.
If you were extremely lazy, and had the credit card limit to allow it, you could literally do all your shopping that you’d ever need to do in Jenners. They have huge clothing departments for all shapes, sizes and genders, and the shoe lounge and cosmetic hall are great (and conveniently close to eachother too!). But the best thing about here is their food hall — if you’re looking for a gift for one of those annoying people who re impossible to buy for then you’ll definitely find soemthing here. In particular, you should go to their chocolatier counter and make up your own box of chocolates — you get all the flavours you do like but none of the orange crémes. A definite win-​win situation in my book.
Yes, it’s pricier than smaller shops, but then department stores usually are. If you’re a student though, you get 10% off with a valid student ID.

Jenners is one of Edinburgh’s trademarks. It was taken over by House of Fraser a few years ago and I think everyone was anxious that it would turn into your bog-​standard department store, but I’m glad to report the magic is still there. It’s brilliant to visit over Christmas as they have a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the store, going all the way up to the top floor. It’s an old department store and you can tell that in its day it was the swankiest joint in town. It still has that slight old-​lady feel to it but somehow still captures a young audience — myself included. I love going to Jenners, I could spend all day in here.
If you don’t know your way around the Edinburgh shops then I would highly recommend you spend time in Jenners, all the main shops in the city are in here anyway and it’s very Scottish.

Jenners is Edinburgh’s quintessential department store. It used to be family run, but was bought over a few years back by House of Fraser, it still manages to retain the air of old school grandeur that it had in its heyday though. The store is housed in one of the most ornate buildings on Princes Street and contains everything that all good department stores should — premium cosmetics counters, designer clothes, an impressive food hall, a good café and a large and very grand central hall which is dominated by a gigantic tree at Christmas time.
For me, the best thing about Jenners is the lingerie department. I came here for my first bra fitting and have hardly gone anywhere else since. The bras are not particularly cheap (probably starting at around £30), but it’s worth investing in something that you’re going to have to wear every day. Plus the fitters here REALLY know their stuff, I get the impression that they would not physically allow you to leave the store with something that didn’t fit. They take bras very seriously and quite rightly so.