Happy National 7-Eleven Day

It's National 7-Eleven Day.

7-Eleven convenience stores celebrate National 7-Eleven Day on when else but the 11th July.

We were surprised to see a number of 7-Eleven stores in Stockholm on our last trip there in 2018. We'd only ever seen them in the USA before that

The first 7-Eleven Day was held in 2002.

Happy 1st of December

The perfect time for another supermarket branded Christmas jumper!

Lidl Christmas jumper 2021

It's the second year in a row that Lidl have released a Christmas jumper. Here's 2020's version.

Aldi's second Christmas jumper of the season

Aldimania was running wild as I bought my second Aldi Christmas jumper of the year.

Aldi liked this photo of me in it that Emily took

I managed to get the more colourful version at my local store last week and luckily found this black and white version on a visit to the Stockport town centre shop.

Another Day, Another Christmas Jumper

I finally got the Home Bargains Christmas Jumper!

Just 32 days until Christmas.

Christmas Jumper 2021

Christmas is officially underway now I have my first new Christmas jumper of the season.

I got this Aldimania Christmas jumper first thing yesterday morning.

Aldi's Christmas jumper for 2021 - not shown are one of the pairs of Aldimania festive socks I was wearing too. Very warm and toasty

Toys R Us is returning to the UK

New Toys R Us stores opening in the UK.

Toys R Us in Northampton, June 2021

While Toys R Us stores have been closed in the UK since 2018 the brand has lived on in one form or another in other parts of the world.

The new version of Toys R Us will be opening by Toys R Us ANZ who relaunched the business in Australia in 2019. They plan to rollout the brand with an online and physical retail presence in 2022 and 2023.

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited a number of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Toys R Us in Stockton-on-Tees, April 2021

Working at Toys R Us

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

Toys R Us in Basingstoke, May 2021

Visiting Toys R Us

With a keen interest in old and defunct brands we've visited a number of former Toys R Us sites over the last couple of years, the latest being in Norwich and Ipswich.

Toys R Us in Milton Keynes, June 2021

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

Toys R Us in Southampton, May 2021

The future of Toys R Us

It'll be interesting to see what the future holds for Toys R Us and how the relaunch in the UK will go.

As can be seen, some of the former locations are still vacant, while others have been let to new shops. Some former Toys R Us stores have been pulled down, with others converted to retailtainment centres featuring trampoline parks and minigolf courses.

It'll be interesting to shop at Toys R Us again in the future

Halloween in the City is back in Manchester

Halloween in the City has returned to Manchester city centre.

We saw a few of the new Halloween monster inflatables that have popped up in Manchester during a wander round town on Saturday.

The full Halloween in the City event is taking place in Manchester on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st October with a number of large-scale monsters adorning buildings around the city centre as well as other themed activities.

Check out the Halloween in the City website for more information.

Ghostbusting in Urmston

I saw an Ecto-1a car and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Urmston, Greater Manchester two years ago today!

It was a brilliant way to kick off the Halloween season.

36 years of Blockbuster Video

Gone, but not forgotten.

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA on this day in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

Blockbuster in the UK

Blockbuster Video Express in Billingham, Teesside

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

The most recent former Blockbuster store we visited was in Clacton-on-Sea. It was nice to see it had a ghost sign

There are still clearly visible remnants of the brand on the high street and on retail parks. And we've been to most of them!

Blockbuster Video stores we've visited

Check out the posts about other former Blockbuster Video stores we've been to in:

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

A ghost sign at the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight

Lost brands

I've spent a lot of the last two years reminiscing about 'the good old days' before the coronavirus pandemic hit the planet. One of my areas of interest is in old retail brands - I'm a marketer by profession and two of my first jobs in the 1990's and the year 2000 were at Tandy and Toys R Us. It's been fascinating to find remnants of a number of lost, dead and defunct brands on the high street and at retail parks.

Halloween in the City returning to Manchester this month

Halloween in the City is returning to Manchester city centre.

Halloween in the City is taking place in Manchester on the 30th and 31st October with a number of large-scale monsters adorning buildings around the city centre as well as other themed activities.

Halloween in the City Manchester Monsters in 2019

Check out the Halloween in the City website for more information.

InterTan is still around...

I recently found these new old stock 3.5" Double Density Diskettes in a second hand shop in Blackpool.

A lovely bit of Tandy / RadioShack history.

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in my hometown back in the 1990s.

The former Toys R Us in Oldbury

A look at the former Toys R Us in Oldbury, West Midlands.

We passed by the old Toys R Us store in Oldbury, Sandwell, West Midlands on our way back from Bristol and Gloucester in July.

The retail unit was in the process of being demolished so there wasn't any signage or ghost signs in sight.

However, you could tell by the exterior and frame it used to be a Toys R Us store.

Empty inside

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited a number of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels in the last couple of years: 

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Enfield Retail Park in Enfield
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• Riverside Retail Park in Nottingham
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

The former Toys R Us site at Oldbury is planned to become a B&M and Tim Hortons.

Social distancing at Freeman, Hardy & Willis

A look at some new decals on an old shop doorway mosaic.

We saw these modern day social distancing floor markings at the entrance of a charity shop while having a walk along Magdalen Street in Norwich last month.

The shop was once a branch of the national footwear chain Freeman, Hardy & Willis. All that remains of that brand is the lovely old advertising mosaic in the doorway.

Another Steals in Blackpool

Finding an old Steals in Blackpool.

The former Steals Factory Shop in Blackpool

There's still a Steals retail shop in Blackpool town centre.

Steals is a bargain clothes shop with branches in Blackpool, Preston, Accrington, Poulton-le-Fylde and Chorley.

Check out the Steals Facebook Page for more information.

Only Foals and Horses in Accrington

A look at the Only Foals and Horses charity shop in the Accrington Arndale.

What a shop name!

We've found quite a few Only Fools and Horses business names, gimmicks and signs on our travels.

The best kept secret in Accrington

A look at Steals in Accrington, Lancashire.

There's no place like this place, anywhere near this place, so this must be the place

Steals is a bargain clothes shop with branches in Blackpool, Preston, Accrington, Poulton-le-Fylde and Chorley.

Check out the Steals Facebook Page for more information.

Summer Fair with Crazy Golf at the centre:mk

There's a free-to-play crazy golf course at the centre:mk's Summer Fair in Milton Keynes.

You can find the course in Middleton Hall at the centre:mk shopping centre until the 30th August.

We've played a number of courses in Milton Keynes on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour over the years, including three pop-ups at the centre:mk.

Happy National 7-Eleven Day

Today is National 7-Eleven Day.

7-Eleven convenience stores celebrate National 7-Eleven Day on when else but the 11th July.

We were surprised to see a number of 7-Eleven stores in Stockholm on our last trip there in 2018. We'd only ever seen them in the USA before that

The first 7-Eleven Day was held in 2002.

Toys R Us in Milton Keynes

A look at the old Toys R Us store at The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes.

We took a look at the former Toys R Us store at The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes while on our way back from a trip to Luton last month.

There is still a lot of visible signage at the old store, including a nice sign in the car park. It's always interesting to see the variety of branding employed by Toys R Us over the years.

I worked in the Gipsy Lane Toys R Us store in Luton, Bedfordshire back in the year 2000.

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. It's interesting to see that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK. 

Check out my blog posts below about other former Toys R Us stores:

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Enfield Retail Park in Enfield
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• Riverside Retail Park in Nottingham
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

Toys R Us in Northampton

A look at the old Toys R Us store at St James Retail Park in Northampton.

I called in for a look at the former Toys R Us store at St James Retail Park in Northampton while en route to Luton last month.

There is still a lot of visible signage at the old store.

I worked in the Gipsy Lane Toys R Us store in Luton, Bedfordshire back in the year 2000.

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. It's interesting to see that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK. 

Check out my blog posts below about other former Toys R Us stores:

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Enfield Retail Park in Enfield
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Riverside Retail Park in Nottingham
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby