Britain’s high streets have undergone profound change over the past decade, with a number of once-dominant retail and leisure brands disappearing altogether. As nostalgia for 2016 trends across social media, many shoppers are reflecting on businesses that were part of everyday life but are no longer trading.

Molly Monks, business insolvency expert and founder of Parker Walsh, was approached for comment on the trend, with her insight featured across multiple national and regional outlets. She explains that while these brands often appeared stable to the public, many were already under severe financial strain long before their closures became unavoidable.

Travel, toys and department stores in decline

Thomas Cook was a fixture on UK high streets for generations, yet behind the familiar storefronts sat significant debt and growing pressure from online competitors. The company collapsed in 2019, leaving around 150,000 UK customers stranded overseas and resulting in the loss of approximately 9,000 jobs. Molly notes that its failure triggered the UK’s largest peacetime repatriation and highlighted the risks of unsustainable balance sheets.

Toys R Us followed a similar path. Although the retailer looked secure in 2016, Molly explains that heavy debt and long-term, expensive leases left it highly vulnerable. Changing play habits and intense competition from supermarkets and online retailers ultimately pushed the business into bankruptcy, with UK stores closing by 2018.

BHS, another high street mainstay, closed all 163 stores in 2016. According to Molly, the collapse was years in the making, driven by underinvestment, rising deficits and a controversial sale that stripped the business of any realistic chance of survival.

Shifting habits and rising costs

Mothercare struggled to adapt as customers moved online and footfall declined. Operating large, costly stores became increasingly unsustainable, and all UK locations closed by 2019.

Electronics retailer Maplin expanded rapidly but could not compete with online pricing and convenience, entering administration in 2018.

In casual dining, Byron Burgers expanded quickly before facing restructuring, pandemic disruption and rising operating costs, leading to widespread closures.

A warning for today’s retailers

Carphone Warehouse shut all remaining UK stores in 2020 as customers shifted online, while Debenhams closed its final physical shops in 2021 after repeated administrations.

Molly says these high-profile failures underline a clear lesson: even well-known brands can disappear rapidly if they fail to adapt to structural change and manage financial risk effectively.