Photos show 13 iconic British high street stores that no longer exist
Familiar high streets have become a memory for many Britons as dozens of stores close every day across the UK. According to PwC, a staggering 38 stores shut down across Britain per day in 2024, and widespread closures haven’t halted this year. In place of once-bustling department stores and niche retailers, we now see a landscape dominated by fast-food chains, charity shops, and empty storefronts. The shift has been seismic, driven by a perfect storm of online competition, rising business costs, and changing consumer habits.
Data from the Centre for Retail Research forecasts 17,349 store closures in 2025, a significant increase from the 13,479 that shut their doors in 2024. The closures are hitting independent retailers particularly hard, with many unable to absorb rising operational costs, including a sharp increase in business rates. But major brands like Claire’s Accessories, New Look and more are also feeling the effects. Express.co.uk has rounded up all the big-name brands we’ve bid farewell to on the high street.
12. BrightHouse
BrightHouse, the UK’s largest “rent-to-own” retailer, collapsed into administration on March 30, 2020, with all 240 of its stores subsequently closing. At its peak, the company was a prominent fixture in town centres across the country, selling household goods like televisions, washing machines, and furniture on high-interest credit agreements. BrightHouse’s business model came under intense criticism for its lending practices, which led to a surge in compensation claims from customers and an inability to secure new funding. The economic upheaval of the pandemic proved to be the final blow to the embattled business.
(Image: Getty)
11. Dorothy Perkins
As part of the wider collapse of the Arcadia Group, Dorothy Perkins’ stores were permanently closed in early 2021, though the brand continues to exist as an online-only retailer. At its height, the womenswear brand was a huge name on the high street, with hundreds of stores. However, like many brands in the Arcadia empire, it failed to keep up with the fast-fashion trends and online-first approach of newer rivals. When the brand was acquired by online retailer Boohoo, the decision was made to shut all physical shops, resulting in the loss of 2,450 jobs.
(Image: Getty)
9. Debenhams
Debenhams, one of the UK’s most historic and well-loved department store chains, closed its last physical locations in May 2021. The retailer, which had more than 200 large stores across 18 countries at its peak, suffered from years of underinvestment and a failure to adapt to a rapidly changing retail landscape. It was ultimately unable to survive its final attempt at administration, with intense online competition and mounting debt proving to be its downfall. The brand was subsequently bought by Boohoo, which now operates Debenhams as a web-only business.
(Image: Getty)
