Which stores do you miss?

I loved 'Woollies' as a child - even worked there during my school holidays. I can still smell the wooden floorboards! Loved C&A for budget clothes.

In Brighton a department tore called Hanningtons. It was an independent family run business with up market stuff. I used to love it!

Go back years and loads of department stores have disappeared in Brighton and Hove.

Woolworths for me.

We used to like 'Ethel Austin'.

It's got to be Jenners for me. Happy days working in the China dept many years ago.

C&A, Woolworths, also Watt Bros and Lewis' in Glasgow.

Years ago I spotted a Woolworth store in Malta and was so disappointed to find that it was nothing like the Woolies of my youth.

Jane10 what a fab job that must have been! I always hankered for the china they sold in Jenners. I do still have some Stewart Crystal glasses in their Thistle design. It’s quite valuable now!

For me, Jenners started going downhill when they replaced the real Christmas tree with an artificial one.

Today, I miss Laura Ashley, though I am hearing news that it may be relaunched via Next shops.

I miss the original Laura Ashley shops in London, Oxford and Bath.
Beautiful cotton dresses and material. I doubt if I would suit the designs now.

SueDonim Thistle pattern was an Edinburgh Crystal one. I spent one vacation as second assistant in the Edinburgh Crystal department. I've never dusted and polished so much in my life!

Oh yes, of course, Edinburgh Crystal. Doh!

Another one who misses Woolworths but I find Home Bargains to be a good substitute.

BHS was a very useful shop

Bourne and Hollingsworth in Oxford Street. East and Country Casuals - the original ones not the ones taking over the name.
So many more that we are going to be missing before long.

C&A and Littlewoods.
Our nearest Littlewoods was in Lincoln, over 30 miles away, so we didn`t get there very often, but when we did, we`d wait like little kids for the Happy Hour announcement, which meant 10% off in that hour, loved it!

I used to like C & A clock house label clothes.
I have a nice crochet dress from there, which is too tight.
Like a 6lb of sprouts in a 1lb net bag, when I last tried it on.

I think Woolworths too.

The French Connection and Next surplus stores, DisConnected and the huge Next to Nothing, in Leeds that I used to get most of my clothes from back in the 80s and 90s. The wonderfully named Brown Muffs in Bradford (a very classy department store). And of courseWoolworths, where I had my first weekend and holiday job.

BHS. Laura Ashley. A lovely local gift shop but it was so expensive and frivilous that I really just used to treat myself to a wander round.
I miss Debenhams and John Lewis as they used to be - the good ole days

Woolworths and C&A I have enjoyed spotting in other EU countries and in most cases have been delighted to find something I need or want in them.

I miss BHS too. Most of all we miss a department store in Wolverhampton - Beatties. There was a wonderful selection of household goods in the basement, we used to love to wander round there when we were first married. Their customer service was excellent, DH has always been into hi fi and they would let him take things away to try out ‘on approval’. It was taken over by House Of Fraser but is still called Beatties, the last time I went in before lock down it was half empty, very sad. There was also a great department store in Birmingham - Lewis’s.

Richards Shops ...

Jane43 - I came on to say Beatties!
I'm amazed that the Wolverhampton one is still there.
The one my mother and I would frequent was Beatties at Dudley.
I also remember Lewis's, it seemed very grand.
Lowering the tone somewhat, do you remember a rather strange shop called Oasis on the opposite corner to Lewis's? It was like a counter-culture department store.
Full of punks, hippies and goths.
I loved it when I was 14!

Woolworths everywhere; Dickens and Jones, Regent St London; Allders, Croydon and Bromley; Biba boutiques.

C&A and BHS.

Yes C & A! (Or: "Coats and 'Ats" - as my dear mum used to call it.)