OUR high street is always changing and sadly, some iconic brands, like Woolworths and Debenhams, are lost along the way.
More businesses have gone bust in England and Wales in recent months than since the 2009 financial crisis, according to Government figures.
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This year, we’ve seen the likes of Wilko and M&Co disappear from the high street, leaving shoppers heartbroken.
But just because a retailer may no longer have a physical presence in our towns and cities, it doesn’t mean you can’t still buy from them.
Some pop back up again either online, or as a concession in other retailers’ shops.
Below is a list of beloved retailers you can still buy from, including Toys R Us and BHS.
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Topshop
Topshop left the high street when Philip Green’s Arcadia Group went bust in 2021.
But Asos stepped in to buy the brand, alongside Topman and Miss Selfridge.
The online fashion retailer paid £330million for the brands plus leftover and future stock.
But the deal didn’t include the physical shops, which means 2,500 retail staff were made redundant.
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Shoppers can now bag Topshop items through the Asos website to bag items from the former high street giant.
But the future for Topshop is looking uncertain, as Asos is reportedly looking to sell the brand to help shore up the company’s ailing results.
Paperchase
Paperchase went bust earlier this year and was forced to shut the doors on a total of 106 standalone shops, and 28 concessions within Next and Selfridges.
But Tesco stepped in to buy the rights to the brand and announced in October that it would be returning just in time for Christmas.
“Paperchase at Tesco” is now available to buy at the supermarket and on its website as of last week.
Shoppers can get their hands on a range of items in select Tesco stores.
Prices start at just £5 for a tote bag and go up to £14 for a pack of 24 marker pens.
Other items available include wall charts, notebooks, scrapbooks, gift bags, party bags, wrapping paper and an array of pens.
Toys R US
Toys R Us collapsed in 2018 and it closed all of its 100 UK branches.
Shoppers were left heartbroken and a huge closing down sale was launched.
But this year, the toy retailer returned to action, with new shops opening within WHSmith stores.
Each Toys R Us branch sells a range of toys including brands like Barbie, Bluey, Fisher Price, Hot Wheels, Lego, Paw Patrol, Star Wars and more.
Here’s the full list of locations where Toys R Us has opened inside WH Smith shops:
- Canterbury (St George Street)
- Chelmsford (High Street)
- Cheltenham (High Street)
- Cwmbran (The Mall)
- Oxford (Cornmarket Street)
- Poole (Towngate Shopping Centre)
- Reading (Broad Street)
- Solihull (Mell Square)
- York (Monks Cross retail park)
BHS
BHS relaunched online selling lights, towels, bedding, rugs and other home furnishings in 2016 – just months after it collapsed into administration.
The brand name was bought by the Al Mana Group, which works with international brands like Mango and Zara.
The website sells thousands of items of homeware and it has a special “kids” section for parents looking to kit out their children’s bedrooms.
BHS had 160 stores when it went bust and 11,000 jobs were lost.
Debenhams
Debenhams left the high street for good in 2021 after struggling to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
The historic high street chain suffered slumping sales and fell into administration within weeks of the virus hitting the UK.
Online retailer Boohoo bought the website and brand – but the deal excluded all 118 remaining UK stores and 12,000 Debenhams jobs.
But shoppers can still shop a whole host of fashion, homeware, make-up and fragrances on the Debenhams website.
Gap
High street giant Gap closed all of its UK and Ireland stores in 2021 after its sales plummeted.
It closed all of its 81 stores in the UK and Ireland, but kept its website up and running.
But Next stepped in and announced a partnership that would see Gap clothing sold in its stores and on its website.
Gap returned to the high street in March 2022, opening a concession in Next’s flagship store in Oxford Street, London.
It now has six stores across the UK.
Below is a list of Gap stores which are now open across the country:
Wilko
Wilko tumbled into administration in August before a flurry of potential buyers expressed an interest.
But sadly, a buyer for the whole business couldn’t be found and it then announced all 400 shops would close by October.
In September, administrators confirmed they had agreed the sale of the retailer’s brand name to The Range in a £5million deal.
Wilko.com returned earlier this month under The Range’s ownership, and Wilko branded items are being stocked in The Range stores.
Concessions have opened inside the chain’s 210 shops, selling many popular Wilko products.
And in a dramatic turn of events, shoppers will once again be able to browse in the beloved discounter, with five stores opening before Christmas.
M&Co
M&Co’s 170 stores disappeared from the high street at the end of April.
The struggling retailer collapsed into administration last year, but its brand and intellectual property were sold to Yours Clothing.
The company relaunched the M&Co website in June, selling womenswear, including curve and petite clothing, with new ranges to follow in the future.
Plus, The Sun exclusively revealed that Yours is planning to openbricks and mortar M&Co shops again, but a date is yet to be confirmed.
Evans
Evans became the first in the Arcadia brand to be bought out of the retail giant’s administration process in 2020.
However, the group’s £23million takeover by Australian group City Chic did not include its bricks and mortar business.
As a result, Evans said it would not reopen its five remaining UK stores.
Earlier this year, the plus-sized clothing brand was acquired by Yours Clothing after it bought the brand name, as well as its intellectual property and stock.
It relaunched the Evans website earlier this year.
Cath Kidston
Popular chain Cath Kidston, which once boasted hundreds of shops around the world, closed its final store for good in June.
The brand was bought by Next after falling into administration – but the sale didn’t include the physical shops.
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Next bought the brand name, domain names and intellectual property for £8.5million.
Shoppers can now buy Cath Kidston branded items on the Next website.
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