The demise of Blockbuster Video in the UK

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

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 eleven years later.

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.

Until January this year there was an abandoned Blockbuster Video store near us here in Manchester. It was always an eerie, interesting and nostalgic thing to drive past the old shop at Fallowfield Retail Park.

Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Manchester

The sign about the closure was still visible on the window there before it was demolished.

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.

Blockbuster Video store locations we've visited on our travels

Our interest in lost brands and retail history has taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

• 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
• Failsworth, Manchester
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Lost brands

Emily and I have spent the last few years reminiscing about 'the good old days'. 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.

A DVD rental shop in 2024: T.V.L. Allstar Video in Haverhill

Finding a DVD movie rental shop in Haverhill, Suffolk.

It was amazing to find out about TVL Allstar Video in Haverhill and brilliant to hear that in 2024 they've been celebrating their 40th year in business.

While they no longer rent out VHS tapes they hold a library of around 8,000 titles on DVD and Blu-ray, with new releases added to the collection on a weekly basis.

We've spent the last few years documenting the last traces of Blockbuster Video stores here in the UK, and we've found some other video shop signage on our travels. It's even better when we find a video shop that is still open for business!

Signs for the movie rental membership, and some of the other services provided at the shop

If you don't know what to rent, the team at TVL Allstar Video will be able to guide you to some of the top picks. Chatting with the owner and his colleague at the shop they told me how they've maintained a regular customer base over the years. This was evident in my short visit as there were several people through the door, it was excellent to see

There aren't many things better than holding an actual video shop rental membership card in your hands in 2024 - it's a link to another time!

A view of a small section of the rentals available at the shop

New releases are regularly added to the collection at TVL Allstar Video

I would've rented Beetlejuice Beetlejuice if I lived close enough to borrow and return it in time

Lovely to see rental stickers in the wild

A familiar sight back in the day

As well as film rentals, the shop has diversified over the years and now offers scratched disc repairs, a print shop, stationery, and UPS Parcels services.

Check out the TVL Allstar Video website for more information.

TVL Allstar Video in Haverhill is one of only a handful of video rental shops still operating in the UK. Long may it continue!

The Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford

There's a Woolworths ghost sign on the former store location in Stafford.

The exterior of the former Woolworths shop in Stafford

I first saw the ghost sign on the old Woolies in May 2023.

The Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford

We've found a few ghost signs and remains of the Woolworths brand on our travels over the years.

Adventure Golf at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea

Here's a look at the Adventure Golf course at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

We revisited the Adventure Golf at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea on our trip to the seaside town in April 2023.

There are two 9-hole courses there and they were originally the 14th and 15th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in March 2007 and we've returned a number of times since then.

We actually played the Aztec and Inca Adventure Golf courses at Adventure Island in 2003, three years before our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour began. Sadly the results of that contest are lost in the ether!

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,064 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

When added to the courses my brother Christopher and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,111 courses visited!

Crazy Golf in Troon, Scotland

A look at the seafront Crazy Golf course in Troon, Scotland.

My friend and minigolf rival Simon Brown sent over a photo of the hut at the seafront Crazy Golf course in Troon from his recent visit.

You can see photos of the course from January 2023 in this guest blog post from Simon.

The 18-hole Crazy Golf course in Troon was the 573rd miniature golf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2014.

Octoputts Indoor Crazy Golf in King's Lynn, Norfolk

There's an indoor crazy golf course in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

We swung by Octoputts Indoor Crazy Golf in King's Lynn, Norfolk en route to a family gathering last month.

Check out the Octoputts website for more information.

Toys R Us at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

A look at the site of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich, Norfolk in June 2024.

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

While the last of the original Toys R Us stores in the UK closed on the 24th April 2018 the brand returned to the UK in 2022 with an online presence, and further expanded in 2023 with the opening of nine concessions inside WH Smith.

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.

We first visited the old Norwich Toys R Us store in August 2021, and returned in April 2022. On our visit last month the site was part way through being turned into a new Home Bargains store.

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

Former Toys R Us locations we've visited on our travels:

• 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
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• 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

Lost Toys R Us Stores

My book about Lost Toys R Us Stores is available to buy from Amazon.

There were once 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. The business ceased trading in 2018 and all of the shops closed.

It is still possible to find traces of the brand on some retail parks and shopping centres around the UK.

The book takes a look at some of those old stores between 2019 and 2021.

Buy Lost Toys R Us Stores on Amazon.

A Debenhams ghost sign

Spotting a Debenhams ghost sign in Stockport.

A time capsule view of old Stockport

As a fan of retail history and ghost signs it was Marvellous to see the old Debenhams logo from 1986-1991 on show at the former Debenhams store in Stockport town centre yesterday evening.

The window graphics from the 90's, along with a ghost sign outline where the DEBENHAMS letters once were

The building is now home to the recently opened Joseph James Furniture Outlet.

How the shop looks in April 2024

Debenhams ceased trading on the high street in May 2021 after 243 years of operation. You can still find ghost signs and somewhat intact storefronts around the UK where the shop units have not been occupied by a new business.

Debenhams in Stockport, December 2020

The former Debenhams is over the road from the former Tandy shop, where you can still find a ghost sign. It's also on the same road where until recently you could find a British Home Stores ghost sign.

From Putt Putt Noodle to Putt Putt Social

The indoor crazy golf business has rebranded from Putt Putt Noodle to Putt Putt Social.

Putt Putt Social Minigolf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, September 2023

The old Putt Putt Noodle sign at what is now Putt Putt Social in Norwich, Norfolk

You can find Putt Putt Social venues in Bedford, Gloucester, Norwich, Poole and Telford.

Check out the Putt Putt Social website for more information.

Toys R Us at Gateway Retail Park in Reading

Spotting an abandoned Toys R Us store in Reading, Berkshire.

We were surprised to see an old Toys R Us store while driving through Reading back in September 2022.

The shop unit at Gateway retail park looked to be in great condition and most of the signage and branding was still on display.

This particular branch of Toys R Us was only open for five months before the brand ceased trading in the UK.

Toys R Us closed its UK operation 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.

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.

Former Toys R Us locations we've visited on our travels:

• 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
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• 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 at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

A look at the Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich, Norfolk in April 2022.

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.

We first visited the old Norwich store in August 2021.

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.

The former store in Norwich is now being turned into a Home Bargains.

Former Toys R Us locations we've visited on our travels:

• 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
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• 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