Showing posts with label retro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retro. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 02, 2023

The old Toys R Us at St James Retail Park in Northampton

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


Earlier this year we had a short break to visit friends in Northampton and while there had another look at the old Toys R Us shop at St James Retail Park on Towcester Road.

Toys R Us at St James Retail Park in Northampton (April 2023)
Toys R Us at St James Retail Park in Northampton (April 2023)

We've since heard that Home Bargains are soon to move in to the premises.


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 original brand on some retail parks in the UK. 

Toys R Us returned to the UK earlier this summer, as the brand can now be found in some branches of WH Smith. We haven't been near to any of the new version stores yet. It'll be interesting to see what they're like.

Thursday, April 13, 2023

Blockbuster Video Express in Westcliff-on-Sea (April 2023)

A look at the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.

We recently visited the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Westcliff-on-Sea. It was nice to see some of the signage was still in place, even though there was a lot of scaffolding up around it.

Blockbuster Video Express in Westcliff-on-Sea (April 2023)




It's always fun to see ghost signs, remnants of old & dead brands and interesting signage while out and about on our travels. Since I found the remains of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in October 2019 I've been intrigued to see the brand still has a lingering presence on the high street. The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013!

The other Happy Shopper in Burton-on-Trent

A visit to a Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent.


S & A Singh Happy Shopper Supermarket on Sydney Street in Burton-on-Trent (April 2023)

Last October we drove home via Burton upon Trent to take a look at a Happy Shopper shop. We're lucky we did as the shop was in the process of being gutted as it's now closed. The business was being moved to a new premises over the road, where some of the old branded shelving is now in use.

Shortly after arriving home we found out the town was home to another Happy Shopper shop! We made sure to visit that one - S & A Singh on Sydney Street - at the next opportunity.

S & A Singh Happy Shopper Supermarket on Sydney Street in Burton-on-Trent (April 2023)


S & A Singh Happy Shopper Supermarket on Sydney Street in Burton-on-Trent (April 2023)

S & A Singh Happy Shopper Supermarket on Sydney Street in Burton-on-Trent (April 2023)

It was nice to see the Happy Shopper branding on the shopfront and there was a lot of it on the shelving inside.

S & A Singh Happy Shopper Supermarket on Sydney Street in Burton-on-Trent (April 2023)

S & A Singh Happy Shopper Supermarket on Sydney Street in Burton-on-Trent (April 2023)

We had a chat to the shopkeeper who had run the Happy Shopper for over 30 years and let him know we appreciated the nostalgia his shop created.


Happy Shopper shops


We've felt very nostalgic during the pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.

A sign at the Pleasant News Happy Shopper in Wisbech (2021)
A sign at the Pleasant News Happy Shopper in Wisbech (2021)

The Happy Shopper branding was changed in the year 2000 and I think it lost a lot of its charm and individuality. Many of the former Happy Shopper stores were rebranded as Premier shops.

We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.

Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more.

Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:

Monday, March 13, 2023

A Back to the Future DeLorean in Salford - in 2020

I saw a Back to the Future DeLorean time machine three years ago today.


A Back to the Future DeLorean in Salford - in 2020
A Back to the Future DeLorean in Salford

Time flies! Or does it...

A Back to the Future DeLorean in Salford - in 2020
A Back to the Future DeLorean in Salford

What a different time 2023 is!

Friday, December 16, 2022

The end of Blockbuster Video in the UK

The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK on this day in 2013.


Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Manchester

Blockbuster Video entered the UK video rental market in 1989 following the purchase of Ritz Video.

In 2013 there were over 500 Blockbuster locations in the UK. Throughout that year the number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. On the 16th December 2013 all stores ceased operations.

It's amazing that there are still clearly visible remnants of the brand on the high street and on retail parks nine years later.

Lost Blockbuster Video store in Prescot, Merseyside
If you're lucky, and know where to look, you might find a QuikDrop box hiding in plain sight

The first Blockbuster Video store had opened in Dallas, Texas, USA on the 19th October 1985.

The very last Blockbuster Video store in operation is in Bend, Oregon, USA.

We live near an abandoned Blockbuster Video store here in Manchester. It's always an eerie, interesting and nostalgic thing to drive past the old shop at Fallowfield Retail Park.

Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Manchester
Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Manchester - soon to become a Lidl

The sign about the closure is still on the window there.

Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Manchester

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster stores around the world. 500+ of which were in England, Scotland and Wales. Interestingly in Northern Ireland the Xtra-Vision brand was used by the owners in-line with the Republic of Ireland.


Blockbuster certainly wasn't the first video rental shop brand, but it was at one time the market leader.

Our travels have taken us to a number of former Blockbuster stores:

Other video shops we've been to include B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton and 20th Century Flicks in Bristol - and both were still trading!

Friday, December 09, 2022

Little Chef at Tot Hill

A look at the former Little Chef restaurant at Haughley Park Services in Stowmarket, Suffolk.


The former Little Chef restaurant at Haughley Park Services in Stowmarket, Suffolk

We drove past the old Little Chef on what was once the A14 while on a trip to Suffolk last week.


We used to pass by the roadside restaurant a fair bit on our visits to Ipswich back in the noughties, that was until the A14 at Haughley Park Services was bypassed in 2008.

The former Little Chef restaurant at Haughley Park Services in Stowmarket, Suffolk

This Little Chef restaurant soldiered on until it was closed in September 2012.

The former Little Chef restaurant at Haughley Park Services in Stowmarket, Suffolk

The former Little Chef restaurant at Haughley Park Services in Stowmarket, Suffolk

It's an interesting piece of roadside history.

The former Little Chef restaurant at Haughley Park Services in Stowmarket, Suffolk

We felt very nostalgic during the pandemic and spent time seeing what old brands from our childhood we could still find while out and about on our rather limited travels. We've been to quite a lot of Blockbuster Video stores, Happy Shopper shops, Toys R Us locations, Grainger Games shops, and Woolworths locations over the last couple of years!

Related blog posts:

Friday, November 18, 2022

Lost Shops - Grainger Games in Warrington

Spotting an old Grainger Games shop in Warrington.


Grainger Games in Warrington

We saw this former Grainger Games shop at the Golden Square shopping centre in Warrington, Cheshire today.

Grainger Games in Warrington

We've also seen former Grainger Games stores in StretfordSalfordHydeAshton-Under-Lyne and Bradford.

Interestingly some of them still had a few bits of stock inside!

The shop unit in Warrington will soon be home to Funky Figures. It's nice to see they've kept all of the former Grainger Games shelving inside to give it a nostalgic hit.

The company was founded in 1996 and ceased operations on the 28th March 2018.

As a brand with shops in the North of England and Scotland I only became a regular shopper at Grainger Games when I moved to Stockport in 2016. I picked up some nice old games for my SEGA Master System there.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

37 years of Blockbuster Video

Not entirely gone, and not entirely forgotten.


Blockbuster Video store in Nuneaton, Warwickshire
This was the sign at the Blockbuster Video store in Nuneaton, Warwickshire when it was uncovered for a short period of time in 2021

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-plus of those were in the UK.


There has been a boom in nostalgia for the brand - which back in the day was seen as something of a category killer that saw off many smaller operators.

Blockbuster in the UK


Blockbuster Video Express in Billingham, Teesside
The remains of the Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham, Teesside in 2020

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.

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 on our travels!



Blockbuster Video Express in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight
A ghost sign at the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight in 2021


Lost brands

Emily and I have spent a lot of the last few years reminiscing about 'the good old days' before the coronavirus pandemic hit the planet. One of our areas of interest is in old retail brands - we're both marketers by profession and two of my first jobs in the 1990's and the year 2000 were at Tandy and Toys R Us, while Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper shop. It's been fascinating to find remnants of these brands - and a number of other lost, dead and defunct brands - on the high street and at retail parks around the UK.

Sunday, October 16, 2022

A look at an old Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent

Visiting a Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent.


Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent

We recently drove home via Burton upon Trent to take a look at a Happy Shopper shop. We're lucky we did as the shop was in the process of being gutted as it's now closed. The business has moved to a new premises over the road, where some of the old branded shelving is now in use.

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Video Store Day 2022

Today is Video Store Day.


Do you still have a video store near you?

International Independent Video Store Day is observed on the third Saturday of October each year.

It's always interesting finding lost shops and old signs on my travels and I recently drove past this former video rental shop at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham!

Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham

There are still traces of other former video shops to be found on the streets of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky.


Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:

B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever
On Video Store Day in 2020 we were fortunate enough to stumble upon a video rental shop in Little Lever, Bolton

Thursday, September 08, 2022

A Happy Shopper shop in Burton upon Trent

A look at an old Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.


A Happy Shopper shop in Burton upon Trent

We drove via Burton upon Trent on our journey home from the south coast last week to take a look at a Happy Shopper shop in the town. We're lucky we did as the shop was in the process of being gutted as it's now closed. The business has moved to a new unit over the road, where some of the old branded shelving is now in use.

A Happy Shopper shop in Burton on Trent

A Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent

I've since found out there's ANOTHER Happy Shopper shop in Burton upon Trent! We'll have to swing by S & A Singh on Sydney Street next time we're passing...

Happy Shopper nostalgia


We've felt very nostalgic during the pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.

We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.

Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more. Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:

Saturday, July 23, 2022

Woolworths shopping trolleys in Bolton

Seeing some shopping relics on a trip to Bolton.


We're always interested in spotting remains of retailers of yesteryear and while in Bolton we remembered that we'd heard there had been some former Woolworths shopping trolleys in Bolton Indoor Market.

Woolworths shopping trolleys at Bolton Indoor Market
Woolworths shopping trolleys at Bolton Indoor Market

Luckily they were still there. An odd place for them to end up after the closure of Woolies back in 2009. But good to see they're still knocking around. Even if they have been locked up and put out of use!?

Woolworths shopping trolleys at Bolton Indoor Market
Woolworths shopping trolleys at Bolton Indoor Market

Woolworths shopping trolleys at Bolton Indoor Market
Woolworths shopping trolleys at Bolton Indoor Market

Other former Woolworths shops

It's fun seeing old & lost brands, ghost signs and retail relics. I took a look at the ghost signs on a former Woolworths store on Blackpool promenade last September.


Like the Blackpool store, the Nuneaton shop site had also most recently been a Poundland and a TJ Hughes.

Saturday, June 11, 2022

Making it a Blockbusters NQ night

Drinking in a video store.


Blockbusters NQ in Manchester

We finally made it to Blockbusters NQ in Manchester last Thursday.

Blockbusters NQ in Manchester
Not a video store

It was nice to have a drink in a 'video shop' speakeasy.

Blockbusters NQ in Manchester
It was nice to be on the INSIDE of a new bar for a change!

We first heard about the nostalgia-inducing video rental shop bar last November and have been looking forward to stepping inside since we first saw it.

Blockbusters NQ in Manchester
BE KIND
REWIND

The theming is really well done and the bar had a chilled atmosphere. It's worth a visit.

Blockbusters NQ in Manchester
An eclectic selection

Blockbusters NQ in Manchester
You can never have enough copies of True Lies. I prefer the Laserdisc edition myself

Most of the videos are retail ones rather than ex-rental tapes, but there are some big box treats to find lurking on the shelves.

Blockbusters NQ in Manchester
A look at the cocktail menu and one of the big box ex-rental Blockbuster Video tapes I found on the shelves

Blockbusters NQ in Manchester
The Chase is the best bit of Midnight Express

Blockbusters NQ in Manchester
This big box ex-rental tape is from a Video Box Office store.Video Box Office was the Business to Business part of ChoicesUK and launched in the UK in 1985 when the brand offered video rental services via third-party convenience stores. As the popularity of physical media rentals declined in the late noughties 59 ChoicesUK shops were taken over and rebranded as Blockbuster stores! We found an old Video Box Office presence inside a Happy Shopper in Ilkeston, Derby in 2020

Blockbusters NQ in Manchester
PLEASE REWIND

Check out the Blockbusters NQ website for more information and opening times.


Blockbuster Video

We're big fans of video, videos stores, retail history and retro stuff and have been visiting and documenting the last remaining traces of the Blockbuster brand in the UK over the last few years. We've seen a number of the brand's shopfronts, signs and QuikDrop boxes. As well as some other video shops.


Blockbuster Video at Fallowfield Retail Park in Manchester, June 2020
Blockbuster Video at Fallowfield Retail Park in Manchester, June 2020

Blockbuster Video Stores

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

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

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.

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

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

We've now visited 28 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop.