Monday, September 07, 2020

Lost shops - Toys R Us in Preston, Lancashire

September 2020 - Toys R Us still exists. Kind of.


Toys R Us at the Deepdale shopping centre in Preston

Toys R Us ceased trading in the UK in April 2018. I worked there back in the year 2000.

Toys R Us at the Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
It's always interesting to see signs from lost brands

This store is in Preston, Lancashire.

Toys R Us at the Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
Toys R Us at the Deepdale shopping centre in Preston

Apart from one ghost sign on the side of the building where the raised letters have been removed it looks like it could've still been open.

Ghost signs

A busy car park

A colourful store front

Toys R Us in Preston, Lancashire
Welcome to Toys R Us

Toys R Us in Preston, Lancashire
This store is now closed

Toys R Us in Preston, Lancashire
The entrance

Toys R Us in Preston, Lancashire
A nice sign on the right of the building

Toys R Us in Preston, Lancashire
At the exit

Toys R Us in Preston, Lancashire
The exit doors

Toys R Us in Preston, Lancashire
A piece of ephemera 

Toys R Us in Preston, Lancashire
Remnants

Toys R Us in Preston, Lancashire
A branded electricity substation

There have been plans for the old Toys R Us at the Deepdale shopping centre to be converted into a gym or a Sports Direct. But at the moment it's still there as something of a time capsule.

Other lost Toys R Us stores

We've also been to the abandoned Toys R Us in Warrington, Cheshire, had a look at what remained of the old Toys R Us store at the Central Retail Park in Ancoats, Manchester before it was demolished and visited the Toys R Us in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent shortly before it was converted into a Go Outdoors this month.

Lost shops

On our travels we've also seen a RadioShack in St Annes on the Sea; Woolworths Big W in Brunstane, Edinburgh; Tandy in Hitchin; Blockbuster in Fallowfield, Manhester; Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent; BHS in Stockport; Blockbuster Video Express in Colne; Orange Mobile in Oswestry; Kwik Save in Barrow-in-Furness; Cooltrader in Blackpool and the remains of Blockbuster Video stores in Oldham, Cheadle Hulme, Marple, Hastings, Felixstowe, Telford, Prescot and Chester.

Happy Shopper

On our way to look at the old Toys R Us we also found a bonus lost shop - a Happy Shopper!

2 comments:

Richard Gottfried said...

I've heard through the grapevine that all trace of this store being a Toys R Us has now disappeared.

So glad we got to visit it for a look last year.

Richard Gottfried said...

Videos from our visit to the old Toys R Us store in Preston (September 2020):

- 1 of 2

- 2 of 2