A cost of living crisis combined with the rise of online shopping, and a multitude of other issues, has seen retail stores struggle in recent years. However, they say history repeats itself, so who is to say we will not go back to a time when shopping in your local high street becomes the norm again.
We asked our readers what shops they would like to open in Portsmouth in 2025 and received a fantastic response. While some of the suggestion were calling for a return of stores long gone, there were lots of new stores on the list that have not had a presence in the city before.
There was also a call for new independent shops to open which deserves recognition but whose hypothetical existence is difficult to include in this list.
Without further ado, here are 29 shops that you would like to see open in Portsmouth this year:
21. Yours Clothing
A number of readers are hoping for a Yours Clothing shop to open in 2025. The fashion company cater for sizes 14-40 with the nearest store being in Fareham. Photo: Google
22. Build-A-Bear
Who doesn't want to build their own teddy bear? Some readers of The News certainly do with many hoping it will open in Portsmouth this year. The nearest one is in West Quay. Photo: Aolden23/WikiMedia Commons (labelled for reuse)
23. Sephora
The high end beauty and make-up company only has a few shops in the UK but some readers are hoping to see it open in portsmouth. Photo: Daria Minaeva - stock.adobe.com
24. Damaged Society
The alternative fashion store has 12 stores nationwide, some readers are hoping Portsmouth will make it 13. Photo: John Devlin