British retail has been revolutionised in the last 25 years. Laura Heywood looks at some of the most dramatic shifts.

Sainsbury’s

Then: During the 1980s Sainsbury’s invested in all the latest technology, including EPoS scanning checkouts. By 1988 more than half of its branches had scanning equipment and almost 75% of all food scanned in UK supermarkets passed through Sainsbury’s checkouts, according to the Museum of London’s Sainsbury’s archive. All the stores had been converted to scanning by 1990.

Now: Technology has moved on since the advent of scanning checkouts. At present Sainsbury’s is piloting a Mobile Scan & Go app in three London stores in an effort to cut queue times and increase convenience. Shoppers use a QR reader to ‘check in’ when they enter a shop, scan items and then checkout at a regular till without re-scanning the items.

Princes Mall

Then: Opened in Edinburgh in 1984 as Waverley Market, the centre was built with its roof at street level to preserve the view across to Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town. It’s said that the Queen travelled on an escalator for the first time when she officially opened the centre in 1985.

Now: Princes Mall adopted its present name in 2000 during a major refurbishment project. Today it hosts well-known fashion names including Superdry, New Look and Oasis, and is owned by Premier Property Group.

Bullring

Bullring, Birmingham

Bullring, Birmingham

Then: Plans for redevelopment of the Birmingham Bullring centre were formed in the 1980s, some 20 years after the original completion. At the time, the site was a mixture of open-air market stalls and an indoor shopping centre. In 1988 a plan emerged proposing full demolition and the construction of a new mall.

Now: Following demolition in 2000, the Bullring re-opened in 2003. Today it has virtually no vacancies and a reported 40 million visitors a year. Anchor store Selfridges is clad in 15,000 shiny aluminium discs.

Woolworths

Then: In the 1980s Woolworths was one of the biggest names on the high street. It was at the heart of the legendary Paternoster deal in 1982 which led the way to the creation of Kingfisher under the leadership of Sir Geoff Mulcahy. In 1986, Margaret Thatcher visited Woolworths in Grantham (pictured) as part of her endorsement of Leadership ‘86, a Woolworths-led scheme to identify the best future leaders at schools and colleges.

Now: Woolies, as it was fondly known, fell into administration in 2008 after it struggled to compete against supermarkets and online players.

The retailer closed all of its 807 stores, resulting in 27,000 job losses.

Allders

Then: Established in Croydon in 1862, Allders was one of the British high street’s oldest names. In its heyday it was one of the most successful department stores in the country, rivalling Selfridges and Harrods. Throughout the 1980s the bulk of revenue came through the sale of beds, oriental rugs and home furnishings.

Now: Today the flagship of the former third largest department store group in the country is a boarded-up, empty shell, with only a few empty rails in the windows to show for its 150-year history. The retailer was broken up and sold after entering administration in 2005. Having been purchased by Jaeger owner Harold Tillman, the Croydon store continued trading until 2012 when it closed its doors for the last time.

M&S

Then: In the 1980s the Arch, as it remains known, represented the unique place on the high street held by Marks & Spencer. It, like other Oxford Street stores, epitomised the very best of
UK retail.

Now: The 170,000 sq ft store retains formidable status but is much changed, as can be seen on the outside from the corporate logo, and inside the departments typically continue to represent M&S’s store thinking. In a sign of how retail has changed however, M&S chief executive Marc Bolland said in May that the retailer’s flagship store of the future is its website.

Bluewater

Bluewater quarry pre-development

Bluewater quarry pre-development

Then: In the mid 1980s the future of a redundant chalk quarry was up for discussion and options for the 240-acre site included restoring it to agricultural use or filling it with household waste. In 1988 plans for Bluewater shopping centre were proposed and passed after a report concluded there was “a qualitative gap in strategic shopping provision in the A2 corridor in north Kent”.

Now: Since opening its doors for the first time in March 1999, Bluewater has welcomed more than 750 million shoppers. It boasts a mix of global brands, flagship and concept stores and exclusive one-offs, and has been home to 40 UK brand launches.

John Lewis

Opened by John Lewis in 1864

Opened by John Lewis in 1864

Then: The seven-floor Oxford Street store began as a simple drapery shop, opened by John Lewis in 1864, and by the 1980s was selling everything from cutlery to luggage under its strapline ‘Never knowingly undersold’.

Now: John Lewis’ original shop is still the flagship and largest branch. Last year the department store group invested £8m in a revamp of the shop ahead of the London 2012 Olympics and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Today electricals and home technology provide high levels of growth at the group.

MFI

MFI

Then: Once a stalwart of retail parks in out-of-town locations, MFI was one of the largest suppliers of kitchens and bedroom furniture in the UK.

In the 1980s, the group entered into partnerships, first in 1985 with Asda and then with Schreiber Furniture, although the link-up with Asda only lasted two years before a management buy-out in October 1987.

Now: In 2008 MFI became a victim of the recession and the housing market crash. All 111 stores closed and 1,200 jobs were lost. Three years after its collapse it was relaunched as an online business under new ownership selling furniture, beds and bathroom suites. The new owner, Walker Capital, owns a number of brands including online and mail-order bathroom retailer Victoria Plumb.