Robbed a craftsman, holding up a series of shops (6)
I believe the answer is:
arcade
'a series of shops' is the definition.
'robbed a craftsman holding up' is the wordplay.
'holding' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'up' says the letters should be written in reverse (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'edacra' is hidden in the letters of 'robbed a craftsman'.
'edacra' backwards is 'ARCADE'.
(Other definitions for arcade that I've seen before include "Shops in row" , "Covered passage containing shops" , "area of gaming" , "Covered area with shops and stalls" , "games area?" .)