Accessorize

Gate-screen area in North and South terminals is Accessorize territory

Both Gatwick terminals have an Accessorize just after security, sitting in the main departures shopping strip before the gate screens. Stock skews hard to holiday mode: costume earrings around £8–£15, multipacks of hair ties and clips under £10, and bright beach cover‑ups that work for a week in Spain or Greece. Think “I forgot this while packing,” not full outfit planning.

Opening times usually match departures, so expect shutters up from roughly 04:00 through late evening in both North and South. Regulars dip in while they’re killing the 20–30 minutes before gate numbers drop, grab spare hair bands, and move on. Prices are higher than Tesco or Primark, but you’re paying for airport location plus not having to detour outside the terminal.

Stock highlights: lightweight cross‑body bags around £20–£35, RFID‑style passport covers, and small pouches that pass as in‑seat organisers. These travel bits often don’t show up in smaller high‑street branches. Most of the range leans feminine; if you want anything clearly aimed at men, options are minimal and usually limited to plain cardholders or neutral caps.

Watch out for cramped aisles, especially when you’re dragging a 55 x 40 x 20 cm cabin roller; displays sit close together and bottleneck fast. A lot of travellers complain that simple stud packs priced at £10+ feel steep for the quality, so treat this as “emergency accessories” rather than serious jewellery shopping. Sale rails do appear, even airside: that’s where regulars hunt for half‑price beach bags and last‑season scarves.

Quick tip: check the clearance rack first, then set yourself a £20 cap and only buy what you’ll wear on this trip, not “maybe someday”.