Which defunct shops/restaurants do you miss the most?

[Hairbrush123]

For me, Topshop. Was really gutted when it closed down. Restaurant: Herman ze German. Expensive but always enjoyed the food!

@EvenStrangerThings03

I had forgotten all about La Senza! As a teenager we all used to save our money and get the bus into the closest city to buy the brightly coloured bras!

I miss Mothercare, I feel whomever was in charge of that company should be ashamed. I have happy memories of going there to select my pram, and my mum told me she did the same whilst pregnant with me.

I miss Debenhams too, both the kids clothes section and Principles/collection Debenhams for going out tops and dresses.

Also GAP and Disney Store, yes you can go online but I never do!

I thought it was just Gap where I lived that had closed. Noooo

Past times! I always used to get the best gifts from there

I loved Past Times.

BHS for their fantastic range of lighting.

Debenhams for their bras, bedlinen and John Rocha "Elsa" jeans, which were exactly the right shape for me.

Our local independent, family-run Italian restaurant that served the best Italian food I've eaten in the UK.

Our local hardware shop, which was run by helpful and knowledgeable staff.

The Early Learning Centre, just had our DC but couldn't quite afford enough

And the Stencil Shop. Stencils were huge when DH and I had our first home in the early. 90s

I really do miss la senza actually and the pier! Tammy girl was also a good one for me! Not too bothered that went though, or pilot. Glad it was there when I needed it the most though

For those missing Gap on the high street it looks like they are starting to have a physical presence within selected larger Next stores. They recently opened within a store on Oxford Street.

@Patented

It's odd because Australia still has Woolworths - why can't we!?!

Woolworths is a supermarket in Aussie. Nothing to do with the Woolworths that used to be in the UK

I miss Woolworths and Mothercare. @KaptainKaveman I didn't know Sock Shop had gone. I walked past a Sock Shop vending machine last week.

Cosmetics to go. Lush (that rose from it's ashes) isn't anything like as good. I want Smaragadine!

Another Woolies fan here, I had a Saturday job in my local one in the late 80s.

I miss John Lewis in Watford that sadly closed recently. I remember when it was Trewins before the Harlequin opened. I also miss other branches - Jones Brothers in Holloway and John Barnes on Finchley Road. Both are now Waitrose.

Anyone remember Knickerbox? Usually to be found next door to a Sock Shop 😂

@LBFseBrom

Woolworths, Cullens, Kennedys, BHS.

Local to me, Allders in Bromley.

I can't think of restaurants off hand except for a couple of small, local ones which have closed and been replaced by other restaurants.

The Allders in Croydon was good, too. MIL used to work there!

Croydon had 3 department storesm when I was growing up: Grants, which was fabulously old-fashioned, like Grace Bros in are you being served, Debenhams and Allders. Now there are none.

I moved away 30 years ago, but I gather it's really not worth bothering to go there for shopping now.

Mine was a bar. Dollar Grill Bar, Exmouth Market.

The best Porn Star Martini's ever - in fact DP and I went on a second date there and spent about £200 on them (they were very expensive!!)
Food was great too!

I took everyone I knew - work colleagues, friends, visitors from outside London / abroad, dates . I had several birthdays there. No-one was ever disappointed. Many a happy night was spent there along with a fuckload of money

• This was long before PSM were common place too.

@OwlinaTree

What will be the next high Street casualty? I vote Marks and Spencers.

I don’t think so as it’s food arm is successful, here and abroad

I didn’t realise T half of the names had gone under - which perhaps suggest I don’t miss them…

Woolworths in its hey day. Ours had a massive food hall and was on 3 levels. I remember the escalator being really posh and shiny. And I can still remember the smell and buzz as you descended to the food hall. It was a true department store selling all manner of items and domestic appliances. Argos and the rise in popularity of supermarkets were probably the first shops to mark a decline in the popularity of Woolies. Wilko and similar shops definitely have filled that gap. Had they survived in this form, they’d be a cheaper version of Harrods in miniature. Woolies was just before its time judging by the popularity of M&S foodhall.

Debenhams in its hey day. Debenhams thrived in the gap left by Woolies and used to sell high quality furniture and exclusive brands like Duresta.

@OneTC

There is, to this day, a Woolies shaped hole on every high street

So true!

@lollipoprainbow

What will be the next high Street casualty?

Boots, smiths

Indeed, WH Smith in particular I can’t understand how it is still going. It seems to just serve as a free magazine reading room. The over priced stationary and greeting cards can be bought from Wilko or Card Factory for a fraction of the price.

Robert Dyas too, just an expensive Wilko with a fraction of the stock lines.

Oh and I also miss Mothercare. It was great when dd was little. They even had professional photographers to book for photographic sessions.

Loads of these still exist, right, (eg Sock Shop) and people are talking about their local one going?

Anyway, I miss Woolies, and Borders; not so much for the books but they used to have great DVD sales. And much as I generally hate Starbucks, the one in my local Borders was a lovely relaxed place for hanging out in.

I'm not sure if this has gone or not, but Sisley, which was the sister to and used to lurk in the basement underneath my local Benetton. Much nicer than Benetton itself; more upmarket and classier design.

It was the perfect storm. A combination of online shopping, the local authority using the High Street as a cash cow and restrictive parking.

Where I live you had real problems finding somewhere to park, now you have a choice. One of the reasons being 30 mimutes used to be 20p now it's £2 !. It's just easier, and frequently cheaper, to fill Jeff Bezo's pockets or use the free parking at the slightly out of town centre, which is where the cheapest petrol is too. You can of course Q in the rain to squeeze onto a bus trying not to fall over the buggies and pushchairs or push past the unbiquitous foul mouthed hoodies.

Ultimately, I think it was internet shopping that took it's toll on the High Street - brouse from your sofa and return what you don't want. Amazon being able to deliver the same or next day is the go-to click. Waiting 5 days from ebay is just a pain.

I miss the High Street with all it's shops. Ours is seemingly Nail Bars, Hair Dressers charging £250 , Charity Shops and TO LET signs where the Banks used to be. Ultimately, how much grooming and coffee do you really need, and increasingly, who can afford it.

The world is becoming more " Grey" place, or is it just me ?.

Irish MNetter here and I'd have to say the biggest disappointment for me was when Roches Stores sold out to Debenhams.

Roches Stores is sorely missed on our high streets and in our shopping centres.

They sold appliances, haberdashery, stationery, homewares, fashions, groceries, health & beauty. Basically everything you could want under one roof! I miss them.

Lots of the stores that have been mentioned on the thread have opened and closed in Ireland too. Actually when I read the post by someone above about missing Patesserie Valerie, I couldn't believe that they had gone to the expense of opening a branch in a Debenhams store in Dublin only for both Debenhams and PV to close shortly afterwards. Literally weeks between each other. Such a waste of money in kitting out a section of the store to fit one of them in.

I miss the Virgin Megastore, though it changing to Zavvi then closing down saved me a lot of money.

Also Fopp(?), I was delighted when one finally opened near me and then they promptly went bust.

I miss The Works, which technically is still there, just that I remember when it was 90% books and 10% art supplies. Now it's about 10% books.

And yes, I miss Woolworths, even though I didn't buy anything from there in the last few years of its life. I mean, I tried, I went there every couple of weeks, just could never bring myself to pay the prices which where higher than everywhere else in town.

Spudulica

Also Woolies
Two local independents - Fab Thai restaurant and games shop.

And... Herman Ze German - brilliant currywurst and we even had DS's birthday party there one year.