Woolworths could be making a return to the high street as the brand in Germany looks to expand internationally.

The much-loved shop, well known for its pick ‘n’ mix sweets, Ladybird children’s clothes and selection of bargains, closed in 2009 after going into administration.

However, the German brand, where it is known as Woolworth, was saved and is now seeking to return to the UK after 15 years.

It comes after retailer Wilko, which replaced some Woolworths stores across the country, collapsed last year.

Sussex was home to 26 Woolworths stores before they closed at the height of the financial crisis.

In Brighton and Hove alone, there were four; located in Western Road, London Road, Blatchington Road in Hove and Boundary Road in Portslade.

The Woolworths in Blatchington Road, Hove, was among the first branches to close on December 27, 2008, along with stores in Bognor, Haywards Heath, Littlehampton, Rustington, Uckfield and East Grinstead.

The Western Road and London Road branches closed days later on December 29, while its Portslade store closed on January 2, 2009.

The final Woolworths stores in Sussex, in Bexhill, Lewes, Rye and Worthing, closed on January 5.

Some 15 years after the beloved store’s closure, Woolworths has been replaced by several different stores at its former locations across the UK.

Iceland bought 51 Woolworths stores in early January 2009, including the Portslade branch, with the frozen food supermarket still at the site to this day.

Woolworths’s former home in London Road was replaced by a 99p store, but is now home to a Poundland and a Puregym.

In Western Road, H&M now sits at the site where Woolworths once stood, while the Blatchington Road branch in Hove is now home to clothing chain Peacocks.