8 Iconic Stores That We Loved and Disappeared

The high street has long been under siege by internet business with low overheads. It has made UK high-street chains challenging to stay competitive against these brands who offer quick, cheap and convenient delivery. The UK has already lost some of the biggest and best stores. Let’s recap for nostalgia’s sake…

1.   Woolworths

If you were a 90s kid or just a big kid in the90s, you would have fond memories of running up and down the Woolies’ pick n’mix aisle. But Woolies was more than just tasty treats; it was an excellent shop for electricals and entertainment products.

2.   Blockbuster

Blockbusters Video did incredibly well to ride out the competition until 2013. This store was the go-to place for most of us on the weekend, wanting to watch a good movie or grab a video game. Now we stream films on Netflix and can play games online, including social games, casino slot games and video games through the likes of Stream.

3.   The Gadget Shop

The Gadget Shop was an exciting world of the future for many of us. We would walk in and be amazed at the latest inventions and gadgets, that today would seem outdated. And that is precisely why they went out of business in 2005. However, you can still buy some of their more modern products from WH Smith. Don’t all run at once!

4.   Focus

Focus is one of the more peculiar absentees from the UK high street. It is a store selling DIY and gardening products that buyers tend to want to inspect in person rather than buying online. Yet, Focus fell victim and couldn’t keep up with the likes of B&Q. Focus was the largest retailer in its industry before a string of bad years.

5.   JJB Sports

Although JJB Sports went into administration back in 2012, some of the stores were rescued by Sports Direct. The competing sportswear supplier managed to save 20 stores and over 500 jobs, but over 2,000 other jobs were lost.

6.   Phones4U

Do you remember Phones4U? Maybe you remember it by the famous advert including ‘Scary Mary’? They had to hang up their phones in 2014 after EE refused to continue partnering with them.

7.   Pound World

Isn’t Pound World still open? Nope – you are thinking of their two biggest rivals with similar names, Poundstretcher and Poundland. The company lost a staggering 5,000 jobs in August 2018 because no buyer could be found to rescue a UK high-street favourite.

8.   Toys R Us

An unfortunate 2,000 jobs were axed when Toys R Us fell victim to the cheaper competition online. The famous UK toy shop was part of most of millennial and boomer childhoods and is now lost. This is one of the more recent high-street casualties after closing in just 2018.