Do you remember these Norwich shops we loved Christmas shopping in?

The decorations are put up and the shops are full of people buying presents for their loved ones. 

Even though we increasingly do our shopping online, the act of going Christmas shopping is still as important to some as putting up the Christmas tree or eating the first mince pie of the season.

We decided to take a look back at some of the shops the people of Norwich used to love doing their Christmas shopping in before they were lost from the high street.

1. Curls 

Curls department store in the 1960s (Image: Newsquest)Customers search for a bargain in a sale at Curls in 1965 (Image: Newsquest)

In the 1850s, three brothers from West Norfolk—Edward, Jacob, and Henley Curl—arrived in Norwich and transformed part of the city into a thriving shopping destination.

The Curl brothers purchased one of Norwich’s oldest inns, the Rampant Horse, converting it into warehouses and shops on the site that eventually became the Curls department store. 

Tragically, the shop was destroyed during the Blitz in April 1942.

The cleared site was repurposed for various events and parking until the spring of 1956, when a state-of-the-art department store, heralded as the most modern in East Anglia, was constructed.

In the 1960s, Debenhams acquired the business but continued to trade under the Curl Brothers name until 1973.

2. Debenhams

Debenhams in Norwich, 1993 (Image: Newsquest) Debenhams Norwich in 2020 (Image: Denise Bradley) From the 1970s, Debenhams went all out for Christmas and was a go-to destination for shoppers in Norwich.

The 100,000 sqft department store on the corner of Red Lion Street and Orford Place sold a range of fashion, home and beauty products, featuring a range of designer brands and concessions.

The store closed in May 2020, with Debenhams citing the Covid-19 pandemic as a reason for falling into administration. 

Plans to demolish the building recently received an objection from a flood risk officer for Norfolk County Council.

3. C&A

C&A in Norwich in 1972 C&A’s last day of trading (Image: Newsquest) Former fashion giant C&A was founded by two German brothers in the Netherlands in 1861.

During its prime, C&A occupied a prominent spot next to the St George and Dragon pub in Haymarket from 1962 to 2000.

The budget brand was known for offering the latest fashions at prices everyone could afford and was a favourite spot for bargain hunters during the festive season.

The location is now home to Next after C&A ceased their operations in the UK in 2001.

4. Woolworths 

Woolworths St Stephens Street (Image: Newsquest)Woolworths Riverside (Image: Newsquest) ‘Woolies’ is often remembered as a British high street favourite and known for its eclectic range of products and pick n mix sweets.

The former high street chain had sites all over Norfolk, including a huge store at Norwich’s Riverside Retail Park.

The company went into administration in 2008 which resulted in the closure of all 807 Woolworths stores in the UK. 

5. Toys R Us

Queues outside Toys R Us in Norwich (Image: Newsquest)

Toys R Us in Cathedral Retail Park (Image: Denise Bradley)

The Toys R Us Norwich branch was opened by the shop’s Geoffrey the Giraffe mascot at the Cathedral Retail Park in 1999.

Throughout the early noughties, it was the nation’s favourite place to buy children’s toys and was often packed in the lead-up to Christmas.

Toys R Us went bust in February 2018, closing all of its 100 shops across the country. 

Last month, the company made a return to the high street, when a Toys R Us concession stand opened inside the WHSmith on Gentleman’s Walk.

6. Littlewoods

Littlewoods Haymarket in January 28, 1967 (Image: Newsquest) A photograph of Littlewoods taken on November 4, 1997 (Image: Newsquest) Littlewoods was founded as a retail and football betting company in Liverpool in 1923.

As it expanded across the UK, most households soon had a Littlewoods catalogue sitting on their coffee table and children would spend hours circling what they wanted from Santa Claus.

In Norwich, Littlewoods once occupied a large shop on Haymarket which is now home to Primark. 

The chain disappeared from our high streets in the mid-2000s as the company underwent a rebrand, focusing on home shopping.

7. BHS

BHS in 2016 (Image: Newsquest) BHS St Stephen’s Street in 2006 (Image: Newsquest) The British Home Stores department store was a fixture in St Stephens Street for more than 50 years.

The chain, which was set up to mimic the Woolworths model, primarily sold clothing and household items but in later years expanded into furniture, electronics, entertainment and beauty products.

BHS closed its doors for the final time in 2016 after the company entered administration. 

Poundland moved into the space in March this year, making it one of the biggest Poundland stores in the country.