Photos show inside an abandoned Debenhams store that looks frozen in time after the chain's collapse.
The now derelict store was one of the key features of the high street in Guildford, Surrey, but now lays empty since closing just over a year ago in May 2021.
The store was a mainstay in the town ever since it opened in the late 1960s, although now looks more akin to an apocalypse film or video game.
Instead of the bustle which usually accompanied the building in its heyday, it is now an eerie shell of its former glory.
The exterior of the shop still bears the Debenhams name, with photos showing the store frozen in time with displays and shelving in place as if they were still welcoming excited shoppers.
Another of the pictures, all of which were taken outside, shows the branding for coffee company Costa, although chairs and tables at the site have been taken away, SurreyLive reports.
The site is now shut off to the public with fencing covering the front entrance to the store while gates to the side are locked.
Debenhams was a key part of shopping in the town and was a local favourite when it came to Christmas shopping.
Guildford Business Improvement District said it was “devastated” to hear the news of the “anchor” store’s closure which was first opened in 1968 under the name Plummers before being rebranded as Debenhams in 1974.
All of Surrey’s Debenhams stores have now closed to the public after the chain went into liquidation at the end of 2020, including other chains in Woking, Staines and Walton.
Plans to create a "sustainable" development at the site, which has now been renamed St Mary’s wharf, have since been announced after the land was purchased by property developer Native Land for £20m.
Their plans include opening up the River Wey for residents, giving access to the river from the High Street for the first time in 50 years and a new square at the end of the High Street.
Meanwhile, two new sustainable housing buildings will be created with retail and restaurants on the ground floor, 215 new homes provided, with shops, cafes and bars also created.
However, no decision has been made yet to approve the plans.
In May last year, Debenhams announced it was to shut its doors for the final time in its 243-year history.
The historic department store shut its remaining 28 stores across the UK for good after the company collapsed amid the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
It closed 21 of its sites across the UK for the final time days before the remaining stores were also axed.
Debenhams, which employed more than 20,000 people before the pandemic, sold its brand and website to online fashion giant Boohoo for £55m in January 2021 but confirmed its bricks and mortar business would close for good.
Last month, Boohoo revealed that its profits slumped and costs soared as it struggled to get to grips with difficulties caused by the pandemic.
Bosses said pre-tax profits for the 12 months to the end of February plunged to £7.8m from £124.7m a year earlier as distribution costs rose and customer demand fell.
