Along a short stretch of high street in Croydon, south London, it is possible to trace the collapse of British retail in less than 10 minutes.
Start at Grants: once one of the country’s grandest department stores, with dedicated sections for millinery, ribbons and lace. Those departments are still embossed proudly on the building’s listed facade, but they are long gone. Instead, Grants is now fronted by a chicken shop.
