Fopp

Fopp is a music, film and book shop on Earlham Street, on the edge of Seven Dials in Covent Garden. It sells across all three at low prices, and the Covent Garden branch is known for hosting in-store events, including signings by figures such as Mackenzie Crook and Neil Marshall, which give it more life than a standard chain outlet.

The range covers music across formats, films on disc and a selection of books, all offered at keen prices rather than full recommended retail. It is a browsing shop in the traditional sense, where the stock rewards flicking through the racks rather than searching a database, and the pricing makes it easy to pick up more than you planned.

Record shop in Covent Garden

As a record shop in Covent Garden with film and books alongside, the branch stocks vinyl, CDs, Blu-rays and paperbacks under one roof, with new releases and reissues sitting next to catalogue titles at reduced prices. The in-store signings and appearances add an occasional live element that sets it apart from a purely transactional retailer, and the events programme is worth checking before a visit.

What to expect on a visit

Seven Dials, with its distinctive column and radiating streets, gives the shop a busy central setting a short walk from Covent Garden and Leicester Square tube stations. The store opens Monday to Saturday from 10am to 9pm and on Sunday from midday to 6pm, which makes it one of the later opening shops in the area and an easy stop after work or before a show. For general reading, Waterstones on Garrick Street is a few minutes away, and our full list of bookshops in Covent Garden covers the specialist dealers on Cecil Court.