Recovery Road – A Timeline of the British High StreetA Timeline of the British High Street

Restaurants and Bars

Considering notable closures among the mid-market restaurant chains in the last year, it might come as a surprise that the restaurant and bars category saw the third largest number of net openings in 2018. There were 218 net restaurant... Read more

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Restaurants and Bars

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Evolution of the high street 2007-2018

A step back in time

We take a look at the retail brands which are no longer on the British High Street, have been taken over, moved online or digitally evolved between the 2008 financial crisis and the end of 2018.

This 10 year period has been punctuated with challenging conditions – from the beginning of the credit crunch which saw many retailers struggle to stay in business, to the inevitable move from offline to online shopping which has presented its own difficulties.

Retailers have been grouped into five categories: ‘buy out’, ‘ceased trading’, restructuring, clicks-to-bricks, offline-online partnerships. The list is by no means exhaustive, but the number and diversity of the businesses illustrates the decline of the British high street.

2007

Virgin Megastore

Virgin Megastore the entertainment retailer became insolvent after Administrators Ernst & Young declared the company bankrupt. The company went into administration due to falling sales and demand for their products simultaneously.

Administrators: Ernst & Young
Year Founded: 1971
Total Number of Employees: 14,666
Total Number of Jobs Lost: 2,200
Number of Stores: 125
Managing Director/CEO: Simon Wright

2007

Dolcis

Dolcis the shoe retailer became insolvent in 2008 after Administrators KPMG declared the company bankrupt. The company went into administration partially as a result of the slowdown in spending due to the onset of the credit crunch, which led to a recession. Dolcis launched an online collection in 2012.

Administrators: KPMG
Year Founded: 1920
Total Number of Jobs Lost: 800
Number of Retail Shops: 185
Managing Director/CEO: John Kinnaird

…2019: Dolcis footwear can still be found in online outlet retailers.

2008

Zavvi

Zavvi the entertainment retailer became insolvent in 2009 after Administrators Ernst & Young declared the company bankrupt. The company went into administration after they were unable to compete with online retailers and the upcoming online video markets.

Administrators: Ernst & Young
Year Founded: 2009
Total Number of Jobs Lost: 3,420
Number of Retail Shops: 114
Managing Director/CEO: Simon Douglas

…2019: Zavvi still maintains a web presents and continues to sell merchandise, lcothing DVDs, games, toys and homeware

2009

Birthdays

Birthdays the stationery and greeting cards retailer became insolvent in 2009 and again in 2012 after Administrators Zolfo Cooper declared the company bankrupt. The company went into administration due to falling sales and demand for their products simultaneously. Birthdays became insolvent for two months in 2009 until Clinton Cards bought 180 stores, however in 2012 the company became permanently insolvent in 2012.

Administrators: Zolfo Cooper
Year Founded: 1966
Total Number of Jobs Lost: 750
Number of Retail Shops: 180
Managing Director/CEO: Stuart Houlston

2009

Allied Carpets

Allied Carpets the floor coverings retailer became insolvent in 2009 after Administrators Lazard (the investment bank) declared the company bankrupt. The company went into administration after falling sales due to the recession. In addition to this, the housing market was also moving at a slow pace meaning less household items were being bought. It was sold to Floors-2-go in 2012 as part of a pre-pack administration deal.

Administrators: Lazard (the investment bank)
Year Founded: 195os
Total Number of Employees: 1,500
Number of Jobs Lost: 41
Number of Retail Shops: 217
Managing Director/CEO: Ray Nethercott

...2019: Allied Carpets has disappeared from the retail world with no trace of it online or in bricks and mortar.

2009

Threshers

Threshers (Owned by First Quench – traded as Threshers, Wine Rack, Haddows and The Local) the off-license retail chain became insolvent in 2009 after Administrators KPMG declared the company bankrupt. The company went into administration due to strong competition from the supermarket’s purchasing power combined with the credit crunch caused an extremely competitive market. The brand name was bought by Midlands-based newsagent, off-licence and convenience store operator Dave’s Discount Group.

Administrators: KPMG
Year Founded: 1898
Total Number of Employees: 6,500
Number of Jobs Lost: 6,300
Number of Retail Shops: 1,300

…2019: The brand name is still operating online, offering a selection of wines, beers, spirits, champagnes and cigars.

2009

Focus DIY

Focus DIY the homeware retailer became insolvent in 2011 after Administrators Ernst & Young declared the company bankrupt. The company went into administration after they had been making losses, and the DIY market as a whole had experienced a drop in sales.

Administrators: Ernst & Young
Year Founded: 1987
Total Number of Employees: 3,000
Number of Jobs Lost: 3,000
Number of Retail Shops: 178
Managing Director/CEO: William Grimsey

…2019: There is no trace of Focus DIY after it was bought out by the Walker Group, which owns Victoria Plumb in 2011.

2011