Ive been to the Bexhill bikehut in Halfords. Its quite a respectable bike shop, even stocking a low-end (£600) Saracen touring bike. They do a nice line in proper utility bikes as well as sport machines. This is a huge improvement over their previous image as purveyor of $99 junk bikes and 3rd party car spares.
I'll still stick to my local bike shops, one is a short walk away, and the other a few miles , is a proper lightweight bike shop.