There is nothing new in the idea of a pretend play shop but it isn’t so long ago that kids had to make do with a little table and heaps of imagination. This is no longer the case with a good selection of little shops and life-like accessories available to buy online. Now kids can channel their imagination into the role of a friendly shopkeeper and leave the building of the shop to the experts.

What can beat their very own Pick & Mix store complete with cash register and weighing scales.
£12.99 plus delivery from very.co.uk

A self-contained play supermarket complete with food shelving and check-out.
W47 × D28 × H65 cm
£49 from johnlewis.com

A complete Waitrose branded checkout with a till, scanner, conveyor and selection of pretend food items.
£25 from johnlewis.com

This supermarket checkout features a moving conveyor belt and working scanner. Comes complete with shopping back and pretend food items.
£129.99 plus delivery from very.co.uk

This combined shop and theatre is a great budget option with a puppet stage on one side and shop front on the other. Kid’s may need to use a little more imagination to get the best out of this one – but isn’t that the point?
Available from amazon.co.uk