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.placeholder image
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

19 of the most popular high street shops of the 60s and 70s we have lost - how many do you remember?

Robert Cumber
By Robert Cumber

Property and retro writer

Published 26th Jul 2025, 11:30 BST

From fashion to food, they were among the biggest high street chains of the 60s and 70s.

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.

The loss of Debenhams in 2021 was a hammer blow to the nation's high streets. The department store chain had begun life in 1778 with a single shop in London, before expanding to 178 sites across the UK, Ireland and further afield. The brand and website were sold in 2021 to the online retailer Boohoo but no stores were kept, with the final shops closing in May that year.

13. Debenhams

The loss of Debenhams in 2021 was a hammer blow to the nation's high streets. The department store chain had begun life in 1778 with a single shop in London, before expanding to 178 sites across the UK, Ireland and further afield. The brand and website were sold in 2021 to the online retailer Boohoo but no stores were kept, with the final shops closing in May that year. | National World Photo: Sheffield Newspapers

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Barratts was a hugely popular chain of shoe shops, which at its peak had more than 400 sites across the UK. The company, which was founded in in Northampton in 1903, was a fixture on the nation's high streets during the 60s and 70s but went into administration in 2013 after many years of decline. It is still trading online.

14. Barratts

Barratts was a hugely popular chain of shoe shops, which at its peak had more than 400 sites across the UK. The company, which was founded in in Northampton in 1903, was a fixture on the nation's high streets during the 60s and 70s but went into administration in 2013 after many years of decline. It is still trading online. | National World Photo: Sheffield Newspapers

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Dixons was founded in Essex in 1937 and the electrical retailer became a major presence on the UK's high streets, with more than 700 shops at its peak. It closed in 2006, with many of its high street branches becoming Currys.digital stores. The name briefly lived on through the Dixons Carphone and Dixons Travel brands.

15. Dixons

Dixons was founded in Essex in 1937 and the electrical retailer became a major presence on the UK's high streets, with more than 700 shops at its peak. It closed in 2006, with many of its high street branches becoming Currys.digital stores. The name briefly lived on through the Dixons Carphone and Dixons Travel brands. | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield

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Freeman, Hardy and Willis, often known simply as Freeman Hardy Willis, was founded in Leicester in the 1870s. The footwear retailer, famously advertised as the 'happy family shoe shop'. became a mainstay of the nation's high streets, with hundreds of stores at its peak. It operates online only today.

16. Freeman, Hardy and Willis

Freeman, Hardy and Willis, often known simply as Freeman Hardy Willis, was founded in Leicester in the 1870s. The footwear retailer, famously advertised as the 'happy family shoe shop'. became a mainstay of the nation's high streets, with hundreds of stores at its peak. It operates online only today. | National World Photo: Shields Gazette

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