Although we may not give it much thought, many of us have a place in our hearts for the iconic brands that have dominated Newcastle's high street for decades.
Quite often some stores will hold happy memories or were even one of our first employers, so it can be gutting when a brand goes under. The pandemic has had a huge impact on the high street with many cities and towns across the UK saying goodbye to huge stores including Debenhams and Topshop.
But it’s not until they close the shutters for the final time that we fully understand how vital they were to our high street shopping experience. Many of us returning to Newcastle following lockdowns may have been left disappointed by empty units where our favourite stores once were.
Now, new research by savings site Raisin UK has revealed which brands shoppers miss in Newcastle miss the most after analysing the search volume and social media engagement of major brands. So get ready for a little bit of nostalgia as we look back at some of the much-loved stores that were once the cornerstones of the city's high street.
DEBENHAMS
Taking the top spot as the most-missed store is Debenhams which sadly closed the doors of its Eldon Square store in May 2021.
Debenhams was a key part of the British high street as one of the UK's largest department retailers selling a range of goods from clothing to household items and furniture.
Its Blue Cross Sale and Debenhams Beauty Club were loved by high street shoppers, but the already-struggling brand was pushed to the brink by the pandemic's lockdowns and sadly collapsed after falling into administration.
The retailer’s website crashed for days as shoppers attempted to grab bargains before it closed for good, with Debenhams stores reopening for a short period of time to clear stock.
However, Boohoo snapped up their online operations to bring Debenhams back online, selling a range of their usual concessions and beauty products, with the reintroduction of the beauty club.
WOOLWORTHs
As the shutters closed on Woolworths' final UK stores in 2009, a significant piece of high street history faded away.
The much-loved chain had a landmark store on Newcastle's Northumberland Street, which is now home to Sports Direct. It also had a store on Clayton Street in the city centre.
Fondly known as "Woolies," the chain was popular with scores of shoppers for its variety of toys, kitchen and dining equipment, gardening supplies, and Pick 'n' Mix sweets. However, more than 800 shops closed when the chain went into administration after racking up a large amount of debt.
In 2020, Woolworths became a hot topic after a rumour was spread on social media of its imminent return which got people searching for Woolworths on Google and Twitter. Sadly, the rumour turned out to be a hoax, but the memories remain with the store ranking second on the list of most-missed shops.
BHS (BRITISH HOME STORES)
British Home Stores, mostly known as BHS, was one of our largest department store chains, selling clothing and household items. In its later years, BHS expanded into furniture, electronics, entertainment, beauty and even convenience groceries.
BHS, which had a huge store on Northumberland Street, was part of the Arcadia Group, managed by Sir Philip Green who later sold BHS for £1 in March 2015 to Retail Acquisitions Ltd. All BHS stores closed by late August 2016, being the biggest retail collapse after Woolworths.
It was a huge part of the British high street and was hugely missed as many of the city centre’s largest retail units were left empty. The rest of the Arcadia Group suffered the same fate as BHS in 2021 as they collapsed, leading to the loss of Topshop, Burton, Dorothy Perkins and more.
These brands were later moved online and bought by ASOS and Boohoo. The BHS brand was later bought and now operates online selling ceiling lighting.
MOTHERCARE
Mothercare was a huge retailer for parents across the UK, with it being part of many parents’ lives at such an important time.
It was a staple in Eldon Square during the 80s and was the leading childrenswear chain in the UK, meaning that many parents had huge emotional attachments to the brand. But in November 2019, Mothercare announced it was to close its UK business after calling in administrators.
The company, which opened its first store in 1961, had frequently struggled to compete with cheap supermarket clothing ranges and the rise of online shopping. Mothercare had previously been part of the Storehouse Group which consisted of Mothercare, Habitat and BHS, but the group broke up when BHS was sold to Sir Philip Green.
Mothercare has since completed a franchise deal with Boots, meaning the pharmacy chain can now sell Mothercare-branded products within Boots stores, allowing the brand to return to the high street. The Mothercare website has now also moved to the Boots website, allowing new parents to continue to purchase from the brand as usual.
BLOCKBUSTER
Those of us who remember a time before Netflix and Amazon Prime will be unable to forget the excitement of paying a trip to Blockbuster. With stores across Newcastle, you could spend hours walking up and down the aisles, reading the back of every case trying to pick a selection to rent with your blue Blockbuster card.
But the video chain collapsed into administration back in 2013, being a huge casualty to the high street with the closure of more than 500 stores.
On the changing face of the UK highstreet, Kevin Mountford, financial expert and co-founder of savings site Raisin UK , said: “In the past year, we’ve seen many brands such as Debenhams, Wallis, Dorothy Perkins, Burton, Topshop and Topman being snapped up by online giants Boohoo and ASOS.
"With high street rent high and footfall low, as time goes on, we will be seeing more online-based fashion brands doing the same thing."
He continued: "With energy prices hiking, and consumers facing an increase in National Insurance, there will be less disposable income to spend meaning our high street may be particularly quiet as people start to take extra care when it comes to their savings. The UK high street is a volatile place to be, but it has been for the past 5 years.
"What we are witnessing is brands that were already struggling finally collapsing and the stronger brands succeeding more than ever.”
