Between them, they had many thousands of shops up and down the country at their peak.
But their fortunes declined and they have disappeared from the nation’s high streets, though several are still trading online.
Some of these shops have not been around for years, while others have closed only recently.
How many of these retail giants of the 60s and 70s do you remember shopping at, and is your old favourite among them? Let us know in the comments section.
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1. Littlewoods
Littlewoods, pictured here beside Freeman Hardy Willis in June 1970, was founded in Liverpool in 1923. It began life as a football pools company, before expanding into mail-order retail and later making its way onto the high street, with its first store opening in Blackpool in 1937. At its peak it employed around 25,000 people and was reportedly the largest private company in Europe, but its fortunes rapidly declined from the 80s onwards and the original company was wound up in 2005, though you can still buy online from the Littlewoods website. | Getty Images Photo: Phillips-Simpson/Fox Photos
2. C&A
A huge queue is seen outside C&A here for the New Year sales, on January 1, 1973. The fashion chain began life in the Netherlands and was a major force on the UK high street for many decades. C&A's last UK stores closed in 2001, but it still has more than 1,500 stores worldwide. | National World Photo: Yorkshire Post
3. Lyons
J. Lyons and Co was a big player on the UK high street for many years. It was famous for its teashops and corner houses, the latter of which included food halls selling everything from deli meats to sweets. Although Lyons' teashops, corner houses and restaurants have closed, it still makes a number of popular food products, including Battenberg cakes and Bakewell tarts. Pictured here in the 1960s is a Lyons self-service shop. | Heritage Images/Getty Images Photo: Museum of London
4. Woolworths
Woolworths was one of the biggest names on the high street in the 60s and 70s. It sold almost anything you can imagine but was probably most famous for its pick and mix sweets and its record section. Woolworths stores across the UK closed in 2009, leaving a big hole on high streets up and down the nation. | Getty Images Photo: Michael Webb/Keystone/Hulton Archive