The shops and restaurants lost from high streets in 2024 - including Homebase, TGI Fridays and Body Shop

• 2024 saw a wave of high street closures, with major brands entering administration
• Rising costs, shifting consumer habits and economic uncertainty have hit retailers and restaurants
• Thousands of jobs have been lost, and many familiar brands now exist only online
• Key casualties include TGI Fridays, Karen's Diner, LloydsPharmacy, and Carpetright

2024 was a challenging year for the UK high street, marked by the closure of numerous branches from iconic retail and restaurant chains.

Household names like The Body Shop, Ted Baker, TGI Fridays, and Homebase have faced significant struggles, with some falling into administration or scaling back operations amidst rising costs, shifting consumer habits and economic uncertainty.

This wave of closures has left shoppers and diners questioning the future of familiar brands that have long defined town centres. Here are some of the most iconic high street brands and chains that we lost in 2024.

The Body Shop

The Body Shop filed for administration in February, just four months after being acquired by restructuring firm Aurelius.

Administrators immediately closed 75 of its 198 UK stores and reduced head office staff, while its international divisions also declared bankruptcy.

A rescue deal with British cosmetics tycoon Mike Jatania was finalised seven months later, preserving 113 stores.

Carpetright

Carpetright entered administration in July after a cyberattack derailed its turnaround efforts. The flooring retailer employed 1,800 staff and operated 273 stores nationwide before its collapse.

Rival Tapi Carpets & Floors acquired 54 stores, the Carpetright brand name, and now runs the brand online.

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The Floor Room

The Floor Room, owned by Carpetright’s parent company Nestware Holdings, operated 34 concessions within John Lewis stores and employed 201 people.

The business relied on Carpetright for essential support services and was unable to survive independently.

Homebase

DIY chain Homebase collapsed in November after years of financial struggles. Operating around 130 UK stores, it had been owned by restructuring firm Hilco since 2018, following a disastrous stint under Australian company Wesfarmers.

Wesfarmers had acquired Homebase in 2016 as part of a failed UK expansion attempt.

Karen's Diner

The UK’s “rudest restaurant”, Karen’s Diner, closed all its UK locations in 2024 after its parent company, Viral Ventures UK, accrued debts exceeding £400,000.

Known for its intentionally rude staff, the chain launched in 2022 and gained attention on TikTok, but controversy and financial woes led to its collapse in September.

LloydsPharmacy

Once the UK’s second-largest community pharmacy chain, LloydsPharmacy went into liquidation in late January with debts of £293 million.

In 2023, it had closed all its Sainsbury’s locations and sold off packages of its 1,000 pharmacies to rivals in smaller deals. LloydsPharmacy has no remaining high street locations but continues to operate online.

Papa Johns

Pizza chain Papa Johns closed 43 UK sites in May, targeting underperforming locations to improve profitability. The chain continues to operate 524 locations nationwide.

Ted Baker

Designer clothing brand Ted Baker filed for administration in April after its UK operating company went bust. The brand had 46 UK stores employing around 975 people at the time.

Previously acquired by US firm Authentic Brands Group in a £211 million deal, its remaining stores closed in August after no full rescue was secured.

Ted Baker now operates as an online brand in the UK and Europe through a partnership with United Legwear & Apparel Co.

TGI Fridays

TGI Fridays closed 35 sites after entering administration in September, resulting in over 1,000 job losses. Breal Capital and Calveton UK stepped in to save the remaining restaurants, now operating under Liberty Bar and Restaurant Group.

Despite its UK debut in Birmingham in 1986 and decades of growth, recent financial struggles led to its delisting from the London Stock Exchange.

Tile Choice

Tile Choice, a Midlands-based flooring retailer with 18 shops, entered administration in January 2024. While nine stores were acquired by rival Tile Giant, the remaining outlets were not saved.

Despite having 116 staff and generating £16 million in turnover during its last financial year, the business struggled due to a slowdown in consumer spending.

Wetherspoon

Pub giant JD Wetherspoon permanently closed 26 pubs between July 2023 and October 2024, with five more at risk.

Locations across the UK, including Stafford, London, Halifax, and Penarth, were affected. Five pubs were also put up for sale, with four under offer.

Whitbread

Premier Inn operator Whitbread announced plans earlier this year to close 200 of its pubs and restaurants under brands like Beefeater, Cookhouse Pub and Table Table.

Some sites have been sold, while others are slated for conversion into hotel rooms. The closures, expected to be completed within two years, will result in 1,500 job losses.

How do you feel about the closure of these once-popular retailers and what it means for the future of the high street? Are there any brands you’ll miss or others you think might be next? Share your thoughts in the comments section.