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!

@UsernameInTheTown

Spoils kitchen reject shop

Yes! Great shop. Also Woolies of course

@Chohlin654

I never even realised half of these had closed

Me neither - I had no idea Top Shop had gone.

Monsoon is still around, though the number of branches is much reduced. I used to use the one at Waterloo station regularly. Now I just buy their jeans off ebay (new with tags returns which I guess might end up in landfill otherwise).

Carluccios…one or two still open I believe but not near me.

Some of these still exist but when they were good

80/90s
Pineapple - the Park street, Bristol store was amazing, a completely different product to today
Benetton - beautiful quality children's clothes
Miss Selfridge
Laura Ashley
Habitat
Athena
Early Body Shop

90s
Kookai
Boules
Gap - before the constant discounts/ poorer quality, design
Warehouse
Oasis
Topshop
Prescriptive make up
Borders bookshop

Miss early White Company - used to have beautiful children's leotards and tutus

Warehouse, I know you can buy online but not the same.

Also Richards, all the lovely shoe shops Dolcis, Stead and Simpson etc;

Couldn't agree with pps more regarding Pizzaland - my dh and I did all our courting there ! I remember the slice of pizza, potato and coleslaw.
Growing up in the 80s, I loved Wimpy burgers. Their coke floats - amazing.
I've loved reading this thread, but so sad, too - so many great stores lost.
I loved Woolies on a wet Saturday too. And Adams when my ds arrived. Their clothes were lovely.
We still have an Ethel Austin : a great shop. So cheap.

There was a lovely Italian restaurant in the Kemptown area of Brighton called Buon Appetito that closed after the second lockdown. I keep walking past it to see if has reopened but so far no luck. I don't know why I loved it so much but I miss it. There is another branch in Hove (actually) but it's not the same.

For shops I miss Sephora. It didn't last long in the U.K. for some reason. It still exists in other countries and is always the highlight of any trip to New York.

Oh and Oasis. Bought nearly all of my clothes in Oasis and Warehouse am a bit lost now they’re gone.

Quiggins in Liverpool. An absolute Aladdins cave set over 3 floors.

I miss a lot of these. As pps have said, the pizza with jacket pot & coleslaw at Pizzaland was just THE BEST. It was £2.65! I've still never tasted coleslaw as good as that.

What I miss the most is the variety. A visit to a different high street or town offered up new, never before heard of shops, and the opportunity to find something different. Nowadays so many high streets are the same. Even when going abroad. I feel so disappointed when going somewhere new and foreign and I arrive to see a Starbucks, Zara, McDonalds etc.

@letsbefriends123

Some of these still exist but when they were good

80/90s
Pineapple - the Park street, Bristol store was amazing, a completely different product to today
Benetton - beautiful quality children's clothes
Miss Selfridge
Laura Ashley
Habitat
Athena
Early Body Shop

90s
Kookai
Boules
Gap - before the constant discounts/ poorer quality, design
Warehouse
Oasis
Topshop
Prescriptive make up
Borders bookshop

Miss early White Company - used to have beautiful children's leotards and tutus

Kookai was amazing! Still got a cardi from there

The Pier and Cargo
Freeman Hardy and Willis
Store 21
Debenhams
Timothy Whites (going back a long way for that one)

@Lalliella

Thought of another - Patisserie Valerie

that's still around too. Well, it is in Belfast.

Pizzeria Rustica in Richmond. It was brilliant and I miss it very much.

@OverByYer

Oh and Oasis. Bought nearly all of my clothes in Oasis and Warehouse am a bit lost now they’re gone.

Ebay... lots of second hand on there.

The thing about Pizzaland - as well as the amazing coleslaw - was it just felt like such a treat to go!

Debenhams and Mothercare

Beauty subscription boxes… I still have baskets of useless miniature lotions and potions in the bathroom

Oh yes Spoils! Loved the kitchen reject shop.

Oops wrong thread

Principles as a stand alone shop
Cargo

I know JL store is still in Oxford St, but I miss the haberdashery dept, first they closed the ground floor one and shrunk it to a shadow of its former self. Is the upholstery dept still there with all the lovely fabric?

C&A

C&A I bought a gorgeous long swishy trench coat from there in the early 90s and thought I was the bee's knees
Woolworths
Debenhams for Mantaray clothing
BHS - I don't think their clothes were frumpy at all (which seems a popular opinion here). I absolutely loved their knitwear -super soft jumpers and cardis in a whole range of co-ordinating colours.
Littlewoods - especially Index (the precursor to Argos)

Richard Shops
Evans