OUR high street is constantly changing, and unfortunately, some iconic brands like Woolworths and Debenhams get lost along the way.
According to the government, more businesses have gone bankrupt in England and Wales in recent months than after the 2009 financial crisis.
You can still shop for products from dozens of brands that have disappeared from the high street. 1 You can still shop for products from dozens of brands that have disappeared from the high street. This year, we've witnessed stores like Wilko and M&Co vanish from the high street, leaving shoppers heartbroken.
But just because a retailer can no longer have a physical presence in our towns, it doesn't mean you can't still shop from them.
Some are making a comeback online or as concessions in other retailers' stores.
Below is a list of beloved retailers where you can still shop, including Toys R Us and BHS. Topshop Topshop left the high street when the Arcadia Group, owned by Philip Green, went bankrupt in 2021.
But Asos stepped in and bought the brand along with Topman and Miss Selfridge.
The online fashion retailer paid £330 million for the brands, including remaining stock and future inventory.
However, the deal did not include physical stores, which meant that 2,500 retail jobs were lost. Shoppers can now pick up Topshop goods through the Asos website to get their hands on items from the former high street giant.
But the future of Topshop looks uncertain, as Asos is reportedly looking to sell the brand to support the company's weak performance. Paperchase Paperchase went bankrupt earlier this year and was forced to close a total of 106 standalone stores and 28 concessions in Next and Selfridges.
But Tesco stepped in to buy the rights to the brand and announced its return in time for Christmas.
Since last week, "Paperchase at Tesco" can now be purchased in the supermarket and on its website.
Shoppers can purchase various items at some Tesco stores.
Prices start at £5 for a large bag and go up to £14 for a pack of 24 markers.
Other available items include wall charts, notebooks, scrapbooks, gift bags, party packs, wrapping paper, and a variety of pens. Toys R Us Toys R Us went bankrupt in 2018 and closed all 100 of its UK branches.
Shoppers were devastated, and a massive clearance sale was announced.
But this year, the toy retailer made a comeback by opening new stores in WHSmith.
Toys R Us offers a wide range of toys in each branch, including brands like Barbie, Bluey, Fisher Price, Hot Wheels, Lego, Paw Patrol, Star Wars, and more.
Here is a full list of locations where Toys R Us has opened in WHSmith stores:
Canterbury (St. George Street) Chelmsford (High Street) Cheltenham (High Street) Cumbernauld (Town Centre) Oxford (Cornmarket Street) Poole (Towngate Shopping Centre) Reading (Broad Street) Solihull (Mell Square) York (Monks Cross Shopping Park) BHS BHS resumed online sales of lighting, towels, bedding, rugs, and other homeware items in 2016, just a few months after the company went into administration.
The brand was purchased by the Al Mana Group, which operates international brands such as Mango and Zara.
The website offers thousands of homeware items, including a special "kids" section for parents looking to furnish their children's bedrooms.
When BHS went bankrupt, it had 160 stores and lost 11,000 jobs. Debenhams Debenhams left the high street for good in 2021 after struggling to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
The historic chain of high street stores experienced a drop in sales and went into administration just weeks after the virus hit the UK.
Online retailer Boohoo bought the website and brand, but the deal did not include all 118 remaining Debenhams stores in the UK and 12,000 Debenhams jobs.
However, shoppers can still purchase a range of fashion items, home goods, cosmetics, and fragrances on the Debenhams website. Gap The largest Gap retailer closed all of its stores in the UK and Ireland in 2021 due to a sharp drop in sales.
The company closed all 81 of its stores in the UK and Ireland but maintained the operation of its website.
However, Next stepped in and announced a partnership in which Gap clothing would be sold in its stores and on its website.
Gap returned to the high street in March 2022, opening a store in the flagship Next store on Oxford Street in London.
It now has six stores across the UK.
