Van Allen & Richards

[kags]

Anybody remember these ladies clothing shops? What happened to them? What other shops have just disappeared from the high street?

[sft42]

I didn't think Van Allen was solely a ladies clothes shop....I'm sure I have/had a Van Allen shirt somewhere...Have been trying to think about ex-shops and have drawn a blank though...sorry.

[slimjim]

C&A

[spiff]

Don't know if these were nationwide shops,but what about "Presto's" , "Liptons" , "Food giant" and "V.G"

[gazzawazza]

I remember both, in fact my wife used to be a window dresser in Richards Shops in Middlesbrough. Spiff, all those you mention were also in the North East. What about Chelsea Girl, Young Carnaby, FineFare, Do-it-All and more recently What Everyone Wants?

[sft42]

God, of course, I sat and entertained the once owner of What every's once and she had quite an amazing life....VG and Presto are still on the go!....Our Price record stores very recently ceased trading.

[kags]

I didn't know What everyone Wants had stopped trading - where will I get my holiday tee shirts????

[banana]

SFT42 -surely it was Van Heusten shirts? Home and colonial stores.Mac fisheries.

[flirty41]

Yes, I remember Richards too. Timothy Whites has long gone, as well as Texas DIY stores. Freeman Hardy and Willis and Curtess shoe shops.

[headlesspets]

Richards! I was too young to shop there but remember the advert really well (head full of useless stuff like this) am very happy to transcribe the song for interested 'bankers'

[headlesspets]

well, its actually a jingle isn't it... apologies

[Numbers]

Banana - the shirts were from Van Heusen.

Defunct shops: Key Markets, Downsway, John Collier, John Collier, the window to watch...

[Numbers]

Gazzawazza - Chelsea Girl/Concept Man morphed into River Island.

[josh4680]

The last Presto supermarkets, part of the Argyll Group, were converted to the groups Safeway facia in 1998. The Liptons stores (of the same group) were converted to either Presto (larger stores) or Lo-Cost (smaller stores) during 1985/1986/1987. The 3 Liptons stores in Gibraltar however continued trading until the early 1990's before being converted to Safeway. Argyll sold Lo-Cost stores to the Co-op in 1994. Food Giant (Gateway/Somerfield group) stores were sold off in the mid 1990's. FineFare (same group) converted stores to Shoppers Paradise facia in early 80's then to Medicare format before being sold to Superdrug in 1990.