Covid has hit the high street hard, though many retail experts say the pandemic has simply hastened the decline of some brands that have been suffering for a number of years. Topshop, Debenhams (reopening briefly for a closing down sale) and Thorntons are just some of the big names to have gone bust recently. Leeds still has a brilliant retail offering, but the city centre will look different as people head back in for the opening of non-essential shops on April 12.
1. Dorothy Perkins
Burton's sister brand Dorothy Perkins will also see the closure of all its Leeds stores, following the sale of the brand to Boohoo.
2. Burton
Menswear store Burton is another casualty in the Arcadia group. It was announced today that all stores will close after the brand was snapped up by online retailer Boohoo. Photo: Google
3. Monsoon
The Monsoon store in Commercial Street shut for good on Wednesday, February 12. At the time, a spokesperson for Monsoon confirmed that there were no plans to close the adjoining Accessorize store.
4. Oasis
More than 1,800 jobs were lost after sister fashion chains Oasis and Warehouse said they would not reopen any of their stores again last year. Boohoo has bought the brands which are now sold online-only. Photo: Google
5. Thorntons
Thorntons announced that it would close all of its stores and operate as online-only in March 2021. The White Rose store was the only remaining Thorntons in Leeds, after the Commercial Street store closed in early 2020.
6. Topshop and Topman
All Topshop and Topman stores are set to shut for good after Deloitte, administrators for Arcadia group, sold the brand and stock to online retailer Asos. There were three Topshop and Topman stores in Leeds - located in Briggate, White Rose Shopping Centre and Kirkstall Bridge shopping park.