15 high street stores we miss as Toys R Us announces its return

Iconic toy retailer Toys R Us is returning to the UK high street six years after it seemingly closed its doors for good. For years, a visit to Toys R Us was an absolute treat for children, with many Liverpool families taking a trip to the store to buy birthday and Christmas presents for their kids.

The brand arrived in the UK in 1985 and quickly spread across the UK until before all the stores' closure in 2018. But now, Toys R US, which is now owned by WHP Global, has teamed up with WH Smith to launch a series of shop-in-shops across the UK.

The brand has now announced plans to open another 37 new concessions within WH Smith stores before Christmas and one will be here on Merseyside in Southport Over the years, many retailers have been hit by the likes of competition from online rivals, higher inflation, supply chain challenges and other high street trading conditions, the ECHO previously reported.

READ MORE: 'Everything he touched turned to gold - but for other people'

READ MORE: Unusual butties that take us back to our childhoods in Liverpool

As Toys R Us is set to make its return, we've taken a look back at just 15 high street brands we still miss. From Woolworths to Blockbuster, these are bound to stir some memories.

This list isn't intended to be comprehensive, we've included a number of popular brans now lost to the past. You can see our list below.,

15. Woolworths

A retail giant we'd love to see make a triumphant comeback -St John's Shopping Centre and Bootle Strand were among places where you could find Woolworths in Liverpool. It is best remembered for its 'pic n mix' selection and a stationery section adored by kids, as well as the latest single releases, Ladybird clothes for schools and more.

The first Woolworths to open in the UK was actually established on Church Street. But sadly the Woolworths dream died in 2009 when the company entered administration in the UK

14. Kwik Save

Kwik Save, with its familiar logo of white block italics against a red background, grew to become a common site in Britain after the first store opened in Rhyl in 1959. The business adopted the model of successful continental supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl, buying a limited range of goods on favourable payment terms.

The chain continued to expand, and by the mid-1990s, they had more than 800 stores spanning the country with Liverpool's most prominent Kwik Save store on Hanover Street in Liverpool city centre. The stores were primarily aimed at the lower end of the market and vanished from our high streets in the 00s.

13. Etam and Tammy Girl

If you grew up in Liverpool in the 90s - you’re bound to remember Tammy Girl. Popular with teens, Tammy Girl sold all the best clothing and accessories and many will remember the branch in Clayton Square.

Mums wanted to go to high street staple Etam while pre-teens and teenagers were always more interested Tammy Girl. The Tammy name later became part of BHS and disappeared from our high street.

12. Radio Rentals

Radio Rentals was founded in 1930 by Percy Perring-Toms, a radio dealer in Brighton who was one of the first to foresee the potential market for rented radio sets. Post-war, television sets became increasingly of interest and by 1965, the business completely ceased renting radios to concentrate on televisions and later colour TV, VCR and DVD, as well as mobiles.

Many will remember visiting different local Radio Rentals stores, from the showroom in St John's Precinct to Bold Street, Bootle Strand, Huyton Village, Garston, Walton Vale to the Radio Rentals building on the corner of Lord Street and South John Street, known as Cousins Corner. In 1997, it was announced that 90 Radio Rentals stores nationwide were to close in a drive to cut costs, with a total of 360 jobs lost and from there Radio Rentals began to disappear from our high streets.

11. C&A

C&A was founded in 1841 by German-Dutch brothers Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer, before it became a major presence throughout the UK. Sometimes known as Coats and 'Ats, C&A was a popular fashion giant that had something for everyone.

Stores began to close in 2000 and 2001. In November 2000, C&A closed its Church Street branch after decades in the city centre and it was reported how around 80 staff at C&A in Church Street stopped work at lunchtime, but that shoppers had flooded back to the Liverpool store and sales shot up by 30% since the closure was announced.

10. Blockbuster

Before streaming services like Disney+ and DVDs - there was Blockbuster. In the 90s, video was king and many Merseyside families would head to their local branch to pick the perfect film for a night in.

The region had several Blockbuster branches. But by the end of 2013 all UK stores were closed.

9. Debenhams

Debenhams sat at the heart of many high streets across the country including in Liverpool, where the store first opened its doors in Liverpool ONE in 2008. The retail giant started as a single store in London when William Clark opened a drapers store at 44 Wigmore Street in central London, selling expensive fabrics, bonnets, gloves and parasols.

By April of 2019, the retail giant entered administration and delisted from the stock market and, despite undertaking a major restriction, Debenhams' physical stores ceased to be in the pandemic, including Liverpool's in 2021.

8. Somerfield

Somerfield arrived on the scene in 1991 with the first store opening in Nottingham . And it wasn’t long before the supermarket chain popped up all over the UK, including right here in Liverpool and Wirral.

The company was first known as Gateway Foodmarkets in the 1960s, later being known simply as Gateway and a number of acquisitions and restructuring in the company, the Somerfield name and brand was born in 1990. Unfortunately, all Somerfields had closed by the end of 2011 after the company was bought by the Co-operative group.

7. Arcadia Group

Owned by Sir Philip Green, the Arcadia Group was a retail empire loved on the high street. Including brands such as Topshop, Topman, Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge and Evans, there were branches all over Merseyside.

But fell into the hands of administrators in 2020 and the physical stores were no more. The failed brands were broken up, with ASOS going on to purchase Topshop, Miss Selfridge and the activewear brand HIIT and Boohoo taking on Burton, Wallis and Dorothy Perkins.

6. BHS

A more recent casualty of the highstreet, British Home Stores was one of the dominant brands on Lord Street in the centre of Liverpool. Running for almost 100 years, it was loved by many generations in the region and plenty of people were sad when BHS closed its doors for the final time in 2016.

There were around 160 BHS stores nationwide and a suitable buyer was not found for the department store chain after it went into administration. It was another brand previously owed by Sir Philip Green and once of the most loved on the street.

5. Wilko

The face of our high streets has changed a lot through the decades and we only recently said goodbye to another well-known name. Last year, it was announced the budget retailer Wilko had gone into administration after failing to secure a rescue deal, putting around 12,500 jobs in jeopardy.

Later, Liverpool-headquartered B&M agreed to acquire up to 51 Wilko stores in a deal worth £13m but administrators for Wilko then announced the locations of 52 stores which will close - including two on Merseyside. The brand had long been a staple on our high streets.

4. Virgin Megastore/Zavvi

The Virgin Megastore is still remembered fondly in the city. Anyone who was after the latest singles or vinyl's would head to Virgin and it was usually packed at the weekends.

Many will also remember celebrities visits like when Quentin Tarantino saw fans queue for 12 hours in 2007. HMV's biggest high street rival, the Clayton Square site later became Zavvi after a buy-out but was placed in administration in late 2008.

3. Ethel Austin

This clothing empire started in the front room of a Liverpool terrace house and went on to become a household name that eventually sold for £122m. The budget conscious clothing brand was started in 1934 by mother of three Ethel Austin and her husband George in Anfield.

After the recession hit in 2008, the company went into administration three times before the brand was bought again in 2012 with only 32 remaining stores. In January 2013, the company declared insolvency and closed all of the remaining stores, effectively ending the Ethel Austin's brand after nearly 80-years, the ECHO previously reported.

2. Comet

Many would head to Comet branches on Merseyside to get their electronic goods. The company was founded in the 1930s and through the decades became a familiar fixture on our high streets.

But in 2012, Comet went bust. Comet was hit by weak high street trading conditions, competition from online rivals and being unable to secure the trade credit insurance needed to safeguard suppliers.

1. Netto

Before budget supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl became popular in the UK - there was Netto. First opened in Leeds in December 1990, Netto was part of the Danish company Salling Group.

The yellow and black discount shop was ahead of its time in many ways, but at the time of its peak trade, its bright yellow carrier bags left some kids mortified and would cause punchlines across school playgrounds. All the stores closed for good in the UK in August 2016., but the discount supermarket still operates in Denmark, Germany and Poland with over 1,400 stores.