Portsmouth’s high street has changed a great deal over the years as beloved shops have closed down.
Here’s a trip down memory lane with a run-down of the shops we miss the most.
1. U-need-Us
Party shop U-need-Us was a fixture of Portsmouth for almost a century until it closed in 2019. The shop was run by the Searle family since it opened 1924 and sold fancy dress costumes, toys and practical jokes to generations of loyal customers. Their Facebook post announcing the closure was met with more than 3000 comments of support. On their last day of business on March 30 2019, staff were joined by crew and presenters from the BBC’s The One Show who did a segment about the business. A miniature version of the shop now stands in the Southsea Model village to commemorate the business' place in Portsmouth history. Picture: Habibur Rahman Photo: habibur rahman
2. C&A
C&A clothed Portsmouth for decades but failed to survive into the 21st century. C&A - like much of commercial road - was destroyed during the Blitz in 1941, and thousands queued outside the shopfront in 1950 for the store’s grand re-opening. The shop closed in 2000 as the multinational chain withdrew from the British market due to increased competition from supermarkets and high street clothes shops. C & A's Portsmouth store in Commercial Road, shut its doors for the last time on Saturday 13th January. Photo: Michael Scaddan
3. Knight and Lee
Brothers-in-law Jesse Knight and Edward Herbert Soden Lee bought a lace shop on Palmerston Road in 1887 and it was acquired by the John Lewis Partnership in the 1930s. 127 jobs were lost when the shop closed in 2019 due to ‘the physical condition, size, age and shape of the property’ and other factors which meant the chain deemed renovating the store not viable. The premises remain empty as of February 2023. The Knight And Lee store in Southsea was the smallest store in John Lewis's estate. Picture date: Wednesday January 23, 2019. Photo: Andrew Matthews
4. Woolworth's
Popularly known as ‘Woolies’, Woolworths had more than 800 high street shops in the UK prior to 2008. Between 27 December 2008 and January 6 2009, all stores were closed and 27,000 jobs were lost across the country. Shoppers will remember grabbing a ‘pic ‘n mix’ at Woolworths on Commercial Road, which first opened in 1950 as part of the town’s post-war regeneration but shut forever in 2009. It was not the city's only Woolworths store - but it was certainly the most-loved Woolworth's in Commercial Road, Portsmouth, 2008. Photo: -