As many retailers gear up for the expected reopening of stores on Monday, April 12, there are a number of very familiar brands which won't be reopening.
The huge impact of the pandemic on the retail sector means a number of brands have gone under, leaving a devastating impact on Nottingham and other city and town centres across the country.
As excitement builds around the reopening of a number of stores, we've had a look at those we've sadly said goodbye to.
1: Debenhams: The largest of the stores to close, it leaves a huge hole in Nottingham's Old Market Square. After a long-running saga and talks of last minute deals to save the brand, online clothing giant Boohoo confirmed in January it has bought the Debenhams brand for £55 million and will relaunch the department store as an online-only operation. It meant all of the shops would close. The huge Debenhams store overlooking Old Market Square in Nottingham has been a landmark in the city since 1846, when it was established by Griffin & Spalding. They were bought by Debenhams in 1944, although the Griffin & Spalding name was retained until 1973, when it changed to Debenhams as part of a national re-branding scheme.
2: Topshop: It was bad news for the Victoria Centre when it was confirmed in February that the high street chain was closing after online fashion retailer, Asos, sealed a takeover and three other brands from the collapse of the Arcadia retail empire for £265 million. The purchase included Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands from administrators.
3: Dorothy Perkins & Burton: It was also confirmed in February that Nottingham's last remaining Dorothy Perkins and Burton store in Beastmarket Hill would permanently close down following the demise of Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia group.
4: River Island Lister Gate: While the Victoria Centre store remains open, Nottingham has said goodbye to the Lister Gate River Island store after the company conformed its closure in February.
5: WHSmith Lister Gate: Another departure from Lister Gate, the high street newsagent, bookseller and gift retailer confirmed in February its store in the street would close, citing poor trading performance. Its Victoria Centre store will remain open.
6: Boots Broadmarsh: Another departure from the south side of the city. The Nottinghamshire retailer will still have a large presence in the city in the form of the large Victoria Centre store. Fans of the Broadmarsh store were sorry to see it go after the company announced its closure at the end of March.
7: Thorntons: The company, which has a factory in Somercotes, Derbyshire, issued a statement on its website last month saying it had taken the "difficult decision" to go into full consultation to start the permanent closure of shops. It was another blow for Nottingham's Victoria Centre as well as other sites across the country.
8 Cath Kidston: An early casualty of the pandemic, Cath Kidston has confirmed that it is to close all of its 60 stores in the UK in April 2020.
9: Oasis: Like Cath Kidston, Oasis was another retailer to collapse early on in the pandemic, confirming its closure in April 2020.
10 Warehouse: The fashion retailer was owned by the same company as Oasis and also announced it's closure in April 2020, leaving another vacant unit in The Exchange building in Nottingham city centre.
