This year, several well-known companies, including Body Shop, entered administration, while other businesses closed down due to a number of other factors.
While some of these businesses were acquired and reopened under new ownership, others now sit as vacant units.
Below are three businesses that we lost in Lewisham.
Body Shop
In February 2024, Body Shop entered administration.
As a result, 75 stores in the UK closed, including six in south London.
Body Shop in the Lewisham Shopping Centre closed and became one of the empty units in the shopping centre.
The retailer appointed insolvency experts from FRP Advisory to oversee the administration process.
FRP Advisory’s Tony Wright previously said: “In taking swift action to right-size The Body Shop UK store portfolio, we have stabilised the business.
“We remain fully focused on exploring all options to take the business forward.”
Catford Mews
Lewisham’s only cinema faced closure this year.
Catford Mews in the Catford Centre closed in the autumn after Lewisham Council repossessed the building.
Catford Mews opened in 2019 and featured three cinema screens, a café, a bar, spaces for independent traders, and areas available for private events.
The owners of Catford Mews stated on Facebook in late October that they were given “impossible” terms after agreeing to a new 10-year operational deal with the council in May 2024.
They said this deal included “an impossibly large upfront payment” due at the end of September.
Lewisham Council said it understood the building’s importance to Catford, but its owner, Catford Regeneration Partnership Limited (CRPL), a council-owned company, had reclaimed it.
Allodi Accordions
The largest accordions specialist in England closed its doors this year after nearly 50 years of service.
Allodi Accordions on Lee High Road had been a cherished hub for musicians since 1978 and offered a range of new and second-hand accordions under the expert guidance of shop owner Emilio Allodi.
The store closed in the summer after Emilio, now 71, decided he wanted a life beyond the shop. His decision came after reflecting on his father, who worked in the shop until his death at age 85.
He told the News Shopper in July: “I still have over 200 accordions here to sell before Christmas, which isn’t going to happen.
“So, everything that doesn’t get sold will go to my home.
“I’ve already prepared an outbuilding, properly heated and set up with a workbench.
“While the business won’t continue, I will honour all the guarantees and keep my hand in by dabbling with repairs.
“People will miss our name, my dad’s name, in the accordion world. We’ve always been at or near the top, which is why we’ve been successful.
“It’s sad, but it has to happen for me to finally have a bit of time for myself.”