It鈥檚 been a gloomy year for the big chains on the high street - but thankfully there are plenty of great businesses large and small that are defying the gloom.
Here at BusinessLive, we鈥檝e taken a look at some of the success stories proving there鈥檚 still plenty of life left in the retail markets of our towns and cities.
Just this week new data revealed retail sales in May had fallen for the fastest rate in 24 years.
The latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor showed sales fell 2.7% in the four weeks to May 25, compared to the previous month.
The year has already seen several retailers collapse, including Debenhams and HMV. And the BRC鈥檚 chief executive Helen Dickinson warned more store closures and job losses could follow May鈥檚 poor figures.
But from fashion stores to discount chains, there are many thriving retailers up and down the country, and we've brought you a selection of those success stories here.
We鈥檒l keep covering the retail sector in depth here at BusinessLive.
The independents making their mark and expanding
Rare trainers made chain a fashion phenomenon
Just 10 years ago END Clothing was a simple high street store, selling top brand clothing and trainers on Newcastle鈥檚 High Bridge.
Yet the business was transformed into a fashion phenomenon when it moved into a flagship, three-floor store on Grainger Street, drawing huge queues 鈥 often with people queuing overnight 鈥 for its rare trainers.
The business started by Christiaan Ashworth and John Parker now turns over more than 拢100m and has defied the retail sector鈥檚 struggles to become an international sensation now employing more than 360 people.
Although the company now sells clothing around the world through online channels, and has expanded into Glasgow and London, it is the Newcastle store that has gained most attention, thanks to its strategy of stocking rare and icon trainers, such as Nike Air Jordans.
End also frequently finds itself on national lists of the 海角视频鈥檚 most dynamic firms, finding its way onto the Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 league table, the Virgin Fast Track 100 and as one of the Stock Exchange鈥檚 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain.
The gold stores going nationwide
While the retail sector has been full of tales of woe over the past year there have been some bright lights that are bucking the trend.
One of the those is North Wales jewellery maker Clogau Gold which has opened stores in the past 12 months and plans further expansion over the next year.
The Bodelwyddan-based Welsh gold firm started its retail empire in Cardiff back in 2013 and later expanded over the border in London, Birmingham and Cheshire Oaks in Ellesmere Port.
But over the past year - while many in the sector are trimming stores or going bust - they have launched a major expansion.
It started back in the spring of 2018 with its first North Wales outlet at Broughton Shopping Park in Flintshire.
This has been followed with more stores in Bangor and Llandudno, while also adding Swansea in South Wales.
There are now three more stores planned in as yet unnamed locations while the flagship Cardiff shop is undergoing a revamp.
鈥淲e have big plans for the rest of the year and are always moving forward,鈥 said managing director Ben Roberts.
Apprentice star building her own chain
She is well known for her stint on The Apprentice, but Fran Bishop is now carving out a name for herself in the retail industry.
After her appearance on the BBC show in 2016, Ms Bishop launched The Pud Store in Mansfield, selling discount children鈥檚 wear.
Rather than going online and investing in an e-commerce site, she has instead invested in bricks and mortar and now has four shops - the latest opened in May in Sheffield.
A website is currently in development but Ms Bishop has spoken previously about how she believes in the high street and that her company鈥檚 wares are offered 'at such good discounts the brands would rather she kept it to her customers'.
She added, after picking up a Nottingham Post Women in Business Award last year: 鈥淚t's taken two years for people to realise she is here on her own merit because I think people watch the show and they think 'they've not done anything'.
"I've gone away and done hard facts and hard figures and Claude (Littner) has been instrumental with that as well. I met him for lunch the other week and he said I think what has changed about you in the last two years is that you are all facts and all figures now. I think people see that and say she knows what she is talking about.鈥
Mother and daughter team helping women find their identities
The traditional boutique has felt the strain of the high street meltdown, but mother-and-daughters team Tilletts has bucked the trend in spectacular fashion.
Launched seven years ago in Cleethorpes, it can be traced to a small country-style clothing concession within a cook shop in the resort鈥檚 independent bosom of Sea View Street.
Quickly reinvented, a conscious approach to use 鈥榬eal models鈥 and post regular Facebook Live catwalk sessions featuring the chiefly one-size-fits-all collection is paying off.
Turnover has gone from 拢650,000 three years ago to 拢2.8 million, with 拢1 million in online sales alone in 2017.
鈥淚t is quite a big deal when you look at an average item value of 拢20,鈥 matriarch Melanie Tillett said, joined by daughters Grace and Nancy.
From a purely family entity Tilletts now employs 30, having opened a dedicated HQ and online order fulfilment centre, featuring fully kitted out photo studio, in a new build double-unit on a nearby industrial estate, while also opening a store in the neighbouring market town of Louth.
Named Influential Business Woman of the Year at the National Business Women鈥檚 Awards at Wembley Stadium at the end of 2018, she was credited for embracing the web while ensuring the traditional bricks and mortar outlets evolve.
鈥淥ur demographic comprises of women aged 35 to 65 but more importantly, women who have lost themselves, their confidence and their identity,鈥 she said. 鈥淔orgotten wardrobes full of dark clothing and boring patterns are now filled with colour and sparkle, mirroring the spark they have rediscovered in themselves.
鈥淏y showcasing real women wearing real clothes during our weekly 鈥楲ives鈥, it allows our customers to relate and reclaim their style. The person they once were is back and ready to take on the world and that is all I could have ever wished for.鈥
Tech helps jewellery store to success
A jewellery shop in Bristol has been named among 14 of the most innovative independent stores in the 海角视频.
Silver Scene, which is based in The Arcade, Broadmead, was co-founded by Trudi Northcott and Marcus Pearce in 1999 after Trudi visited Bali and was inspired by how jewellery was made there.
The business began as a workshop selling from a stall in Corn Street Market and has since grown to five stores and 15 employees.
The retailer was picked from more than 1,000 independent 海角视频 stores by the British Independent Retail Association (Bira) and retail software company Vend for its innovative approach to business.
Silver Scene was recognised for its use of technology to support its success.
The retailer has used tech to simplify back-end processes in its stores, meaning that Trudi and Marcus can focus on creating jewellery.
Trudi said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to be recognised for our innovative approach to retail, and believe that technology has been fundamental in helping us to grow from one store to five."
Silver Scene also has an online business and sells its products all over the world.
Marcus added: 鈥淲e鈥檙e a small company but we think big, trade fair and love what we do.
"We take inspiration from other cultures and it鈥檚 important each of our products are engraved with beautiful designs so that customers feel as though there is a story personal to them.鈥
Butcher鈥檚 鈥榮ignificant investment鈥 after saving shop
鈥淪ignificant investment鈥 has been made in a struggling Hull city centre shopping street by the butchers which replaced stricken chain Crawshaws last month.
Sterling Meat Co announced in April it was taking over both of Crawshaw鈥檚 stores in Hull 鈥 including the city centre shop in Whitefriargate 鈥 after the butchers went into administration last November.
The Whitefriargate store is now up and running, and Sterling Meat Co has revealed further investment to create more space for customers is in the pipeline.
Jim Viggars, managing director at Sterling, said: 鈥淭he rebrand of our shop in Whitefriargate as Sterling Meat Company has been very well received.
鈥淭he internal improvements are about visible aesthetics and showing people where their food comes from and how it is being prepared.
鈥淐ustomers in Hull are delighted with what they have seen so far and that instils us with absolute confidence. We鈥檝e also had a lot of support from HullBID and look forward to sharing in the success of their food activities.鈥
Sterling Meat Co will be hoping to buck that trend and spark a resurgence in Whitefriargate.
Marks & Spencer, Boots, Ann Summers and Kapow are among those to have left the street in recent times, as the conundrum on what to do with the once-thriving shopping hubs lingers.
The big names bucking the trend
Scouse bargain chain now boasts sales of 拢3.5bn
Bargain retailer B&M has announced it will open 50 new stores across the 海角视频 over the coming year after a 鈥渟trong鈥 12 months in which revenue soared to 拢3.5bn - a 17% increase.
The chain, which has its HQ in Liverpool, welcomes millions of shoppers to its 600-plus 海角视频 stores each week.
It reported its positive annual results last month, and said the 鈥渋mportant progress鈥 it made was due to shoppers鈥 strong emphasis on value for money.
Chief executive Simon Arora said the results came despite a 鈥渃hallenging backdrop鈥 of continued structural change in the industry, rising costs and uncertain times for consumers.
Mr Arora added: 鈥淲e enter the new financial year with renewed trading momentum particularly in the 海角视频, a high quality new store expansion programme in place, and investing in our new infrastructure to support future growth.
鈥淚'm confident B&M is well-positioned to deliver further strong progress in the current year and beyond."
Reporting its annual results last month, the firm, whose portfolio also includes Heron Foods, said profit before tax last year was 拢249.4m - an increase of 8.7% on previous.
B&M had 44 net store openings last year, and the recent announcement means by the end of next year, it hopes to have around 670 in total.
Iconic department stores still giving 鈥榖ig yellow welcome鈥
Although the company was founded more than a century ago by Harry Gordon Selfridge, it could still be classed as one of the smallest retail "chains" in the 海角视频.
The high-end department store has just four venues - London's Oxford Street where it was founded in 1909, two in Greater Manchester and a fourth in Birmingham's iconic Bullring shopping centre.
This fourth and final piece of the Selfridges jigsaw has grown a personality way beyond a place to simply blow your credit card on fancy clothes and consumer goods.
It is a tourist destination in its own right, with its space-age exterior becoming the backdrop to a million Instagram posts and one of the most likely things to come up on Google Images when searching for photos of the city.
The company spent 拢20 million completely revamping all four floors of the store - its largest investment in Birmingham since opening in 2003 - which created 70 new jobs and brand new dedicated floors for menswear and womenswear.
It is constantly shifting its product ranges and welcoming new pop up retailers.
A few years ago it even added - shock horror - a Primark concession while its leisure offer has welcomed a San Carlo bistro on its top-floor balcony overlooking the mall and a ground-floor caf茅, replacing the ubiquitous Starbucks.
Plans are afoot to revamp its already bustling food and drink offer on the ground floor which can boast one of the most striking retail frontages in the city.
New staff are given 'the big yellow welcome' - a nod to its brightly coloured shopping bags - which details the company's history and heritage and is aimed at getting employees to buy into the retailer's ethos.
Selfridges impressed judges so much at the Birmingham Post Business Awards 2018 that the Bullring store was crowned a double winner for customer service and retail business of the year.
How the Range is defying the meltdown
Plymouth retail magnate Chris Dawson鈥檚 The Range chain has defied the retail meltdown with its profits heading up to 拢90m.
The company, officially titled CDS (Superstores International) ltd, has also created about 1,000 jobs to bring its workforce to about 9,000.
That makes the Plymouth-headquartered firm the largest company in the South West, topping the top 150 list in the Western Morning News鈥檚 Annual Business Guide 2018.
And the firm鈥檚 stellar performance cemented its position in the 海角视频鈥檚 top 100 list. The Range smashed its way into The Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 chart in 2016 and appear again in 2017 and 2018, when it was at number 86.
Its 2017 profit was up 拢8million on 2016, on sales of 拢761,287,000. And the firm saw staffing levels rise from 7,910 to 8,846. The total was recorded in early 2017 so the firm may have even more staff by now as it continues to open stores.
Mr Dawson opened a vast new retail outlet at Seaton Hill, in his home city of Plymouth, in early 2019 - just one of 31 The Range stores planned to open in 2019 as he aims at Europe, and possibly further.
The chain opened in Prague, in the Czech Republic, just before Christmas 2018, and Mr Dawson said he is now looking at Poland and Lithuania, among other European territories.
Meanwhile, Mr Dawson has seen his wealth inch nearer to the 拢2bn mark. The founder and owner of The Range, along with his wife Sarah, is now worth an astonishing 拢1.99bn.
Shoe firm鈥檚 鈥楤ig Boxes鈥 are paying dividends
Where other big name retailers have stumbled, Shoe Zone has prospered.
The discount retailer 鈥 which has its headquarters just outside Leicester's inner ring road - is opening new 'Big Box' stores at a rate of knots.
Its latest one in Market Harborough is among 33 it now has, which will grow to 45 by the end of the year.
And the new openings are not at the expense of the existing high street stores, which stand at almost 500.
The discount chain recently announced that turnover and profits remained stable despite many other retailers being hit by a consumer slowdown.
Revenues for the six months to March 30 were 拢73 million, marginally down on the same period a year earlier, while pre-tax profits were the same at 拢1 million.
Chief executive Nick Davies said the first half of the financial year had been positive for the group, in line with management expectations, with growth in the two key areas of digital and Big Box.
He said: 鈥淟ast year we exceeded expectations, so we are pleased to be tracking the same sort of revenues and profits.
鈥淏y the end of this month [March 2019] we will be at 33 big box stores, and the 33rd will be in Leicestershire.
鈥淭hat one is close to the town centre, and the fit-out is being completed this week and then our assembly team will move in before we cut the ribbon a week on Friday.
鈥淭here will be 45 Big Box stores by the end of December, and another 20 in 2020.
鈥淭he [property] market is really soft so we are getting some great deals, with shorter leases and 20 per cent lower rents in places, even getting institutions coming to us offering packages of properties, so we are being choosy because we can be.
鈥淎dditionally, our refreshed digital strategy has also generated profitable growth, laying the foundation for a positive outlook for the rest of the year."
He added: 鈥淲ith our growth strategy in place, we believe we are favourably insulated against many of the structural sector issues and the board continues to look to the future with confidence.鈥
Discount store was so popular it had to close
As the retail sector does its best to cope with ever shifting sands the seemingly unstoppable growth of Aldi would seem to be a modern day phenomenon.
海角视频 shoppers have embraced the whole idea of the budget supermarket with unbridled enthusiasm and Aldi would seem to be leading the way.
The demise of the high street has been well documented and out of town retail parks face challenges too - but not Aldi - and Lidl for that matter, who are constantly growing their portfolio of 海角视频 stores.
But one Aldi store in Coventry was a victim of its own success and forced to close as a result.
It came as a shock to many that Aldi announced it was to shut its Bell Green store because it was too popular.
The Roseberry Avenue store - Aldi鈥檚 first store in Coventry, which opened in 1991 - recently closed its doors for the final time.
Aldi said the popular outlet was closing as in its current form both the store and the car park were no longer able to cope with demand.
The closure sparked shock among loyal shoppers and a petition was set up in a bid to convince the retailer to remain open, which was signed by thousands.
Even Coventry City Council got involved, making a last-ditch plea urging Aldi to reconsider its plans but to no avail.
At a meeting of the full council, Cllr Linda Bingham (Longford) said: 鈥淐onstituents are bemused and amazed that a store would close because it is too successful 鈥 something that many other stores would be glad of.鈥
Fortunately for the staff at the store they were all given the chance to be redeployed.
An Aldi spokesperson added the company was still keen to grow in Coventry and was on the lookout for new sites. They said: 鈥淲e are now looking for new larger sites in the city with more parking spaces.鈥
Discount giants showing Potteries people love their bargains
Budget retailers including Aldi and Lidl are continuing their aggressive expansion in North Staffordshire - and there is no sign that the Potteries' love of bargains is fading.
German food retailer Lidl already has seven stores in Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding North Staffordshire area - including its recently-opened supermarket in Longton.
And in April, the retailer revealed it is looking to open an additional 11 stores across the region and in nearby South Cheshire.
It also wants to relocate its existing stores in Newcastle-under-Lyme and in Stafford, and open a second in each town.
But it's not just Lidl which is bucking the high street trend in North Staffordshire - so is its rival Aldi.
A number of Aldi's existing North Staffordshire stores have been revamped this year - including its Kidsgrove branch in Newcastle-under-Lyme and its store in Crewe.
It has also revealed plans to open number of new supermarkets on the Staffordshire-Shropshire border, such as in Market Drayton.
Away from food retailers, fellow budget chain B&M opened its biggest North Staffordshire store in April - its seventh branch in the Potteries.
The arrival of B&M to Wolstanton Retail Park, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, also saw the creation of 60 new jobs.
Bargains boost to the retail scene
Earlier this year, Derby was rocked by the news that Bennetts - thought to be the oldest department store in the world - had gone into administration.
The impact of online retailing was just one of the reasons why the company, which can trace its roots back to 1734, had called in administrators.
But while some retailers struggle, there are others who are not only surviving, they are thriving. They all have one thing in common - bargains.
In the past 12 months, a number of new bargain and charity shops have opened across Derby and Derbyshire.
In terms of national retailers, one brand that is continuing to go from strength-to-strength in Derbyshire is budget supermarket chain Aldi.
Not only is the German-owned retailer continuing to open a glut of new stores across the city and county, but it is also currently constructing a huge new distribution centre at Sawley, on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border.
Likewise, rival Lidl continues to open new stores across the area.
Another retail location in Derbyshire that is thriving despite the high street gloom is the East Midlands Designer outlet.
Situated at South Normanton, it is home to 65 designer brands selling goods at up to 60% less than the recommended retail price.
There are instances where brand loyalty is helping to sustain some of Derby鈥檚 traditional retailers. One of those is Birds Bakery - a regional bakery chain headquartered in Derby, which has a long history of operating in the city.
A reputation for quality and the introduction of new products (and the return of some old favourites) is helping to steer the company through the high street gloom, leading it to open new outlets while refreshing existing ones.
Reporting by the BusinessLive team - Alistair Houghton, Charlotte Turner, Chris Pyke, Coreena Ford, David Laister, Enda Mullen, Graeme Whitfield, Hannah Baker, Hannah Finch, Jonathon Manning, Laura James, Matthew Bunn, Owen Hughes, Phil Winter, Robin Johnson, Shelina Begum, Sion Barry, Tamlyn Jones, Tom Pegden, Tom Houghton, William Telford
