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:
25. Foot Locker
The popular brand sells a range of footwear and sporting merchandise.The nearest shop is along way away in Bournemouth. Photo: Google
26. MINISO
MINISO, the global lifestyle brand, is wanted in Portsmouth by a number of readers. The nearest one is currently in Brighton. Photo: Hand-out
27. Oakley
The sunglasses company used to have a shop in Gunwharf before it closed. It has been missed by some readers who would like to see it return. Photo: Google
28. Lucy & Yak
If you see someone wearing a pair of dungarees on tv, more times than not its by Lucy & Yak. The Brighton based clothing store has grown in popularity and branched out to a number of locations in the UK. Some are hoping the next store will be in Portsmouth. Photo: Google