8 iconic UK shops that thrived in 2016 but have since vanished from the high street
High streets in the UK were alive with retail giants that generations of shoppers knew and trusted. From bustling department stores to popular restaurant chains, these brands were at the heart of British shopping and everyday life. Yet in just a few short years, many of these once-iconic businesses have disappeared.
Molly Monks, business insolvency expert and founder of insolvency firm Parker Walsh
What stores do you miss the most? Did we miss any popular brands off the list? Let us know in the comments below.
The famous British travel company Thomas Cook was a common sight to see on high streets across the UK. However, the company struggled with uncertainty caused by Brexit, very high debt levels, and strong competition from online travel websites.
These problems eventually led to the company's collapse in 2019. Business insolvency expert Molly Monks explained: "Around 150,000 UK customers were stranded, triggering the UK's largest peacetime repatriation to bring them home. Meanwhile, 9,000 employees lost their jobs."
Famous for being a magical store that brought joy to children across the nation, it was a shock to see this popular toy store close for good.
Monica said: "In 2016, Toys ‘R' Us looked okay at surface level, but behind the scenes, the shops were tied to debt and locked into expensive retail park leases."
The toy store also dealt with a change in the market, with children playing with fewer toys and competition from supermarkets to online retailers, which led the company to file for bankruptcy in 2017.
In 2018, Toys 'R' US began closing all its US, British, and Australian locations, with the last US stores closing in 2021.
BHS was extremely popular across the UK, but eventually had to close all 163 stores in 2016. Launching in 1928, the household store opened in Brixton, London, by a group of American entrepreneurs, the BBC reported.
"BHS didn't fail overnight. Years of underinvestment, mounting deficits and the controversial sale of the business left it unable to survive," said Monica.
"When Sir Philip Green sold the business for £1, he sent it to its grave. It entered administration in April 2016, 163 stores closed, and around 11,000 jobs were lost."
For many years, Mothercare was a well-known and trusted brand for parents, selling clothing, furniture, and products for babies and young children.
However, despite its strong reputation, the business began to struggle. Fewer customers were visiting physical shops, as more people chose to shop online instead. At the same time, Mothercare was operating too many large stores, which increased costs and made it difficult to adapt to changing shopping habits.
According to the business expert, these issues gradually weakened the company's finances. As a result, Mothercare was unable to survive, and by 2019, all of its UK stores had closed.
The electronics store Maplin first began as a small business but grew into a major name in UK retail. At the peak of its success in June 2017, the company had expanded to 217 stores nationwide, making it a well-known destination for technology products.
However, Maplin struggled as online shopping grew and customer habits changed. It could not match the low prices and convenience of online retailers, leading to serious financial problems.
According to the Electronics Specifier, in 2018, Maplin entered administration and failed to find a buyer, resulting in the closure of all stores and the end of the business.
Byron Burgers was founded in 2007 by Tom Byng and quickly grew in popularity, expanding to 34 restaurants. After being sold in 2013, the business continued to grow, nearly doubling to 67 locations, but changing consumer habits and a slowdown in the casual dining market forced a major restructuring in 2018, The Caterer reported.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Byron was sold again, this time to Famously Proper. As part of this sale, 31 restaurants were closed. Further closures and job losses followed in 2023, with the company blaming rising operating costs. Today, Byron operates far fewer restaurants and is focused on survival and rebuilding under new ownership.
This mobile store was always seen on high streets and was popular for offering market advice and providing great deals. However, in 2018, the store began its first set of closures, including 92 shops.
Then in 2020, Carphone Warehouse closed all of its remaining 531 stores. According to the BBC, Group chief executive Alex Baldock explained that customers were increasingly shopping online or at the company's larger stores.
He added: "Customers can't find everything they need in these tiny mobile-only stores, which are just one-twentieth the size of our bigger locations. As a result, footfall has dropped, and these smaller shops are losing more money."
The store closure that shocked the nation: former British High Street giant Debenhams shut all 124 physical stores in 2021. "The company traces its roots back to 1778 when William Clark opened a shop in London's West End, selling fabrics, bonnets and parasols," shared the BBC.
Debenhams was the UK's largest department store in 1950, with 110 locations, and continued expanding rapidly, opening new shops as late as 2017. However, falling profits, rising debts, and the shift to online shopping weakened the chain. It entered administration twice, and the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to deliver the final blow.