Bristol’s Forbidden Planet store has confirmed it will reopen in December, around a year after a fire meant it had to close its doors for a time. The shop has been a staple of the Bristol shopping scene since it first opened its doors in 1994.

It will reopen on December 7 with a special reopening event that will feature ‘signings, costumed characters, decorations and goodie bags’ the brand says.

BristolLive reported that the store would be closed until further notice back on December 6, 2023. Forbidden Planet’s Clifton Heights shop at Triangle West was significantly damaged in the blaze which broke out just nights before the closure announcement (on Monday, December 4, 2023).

Flames were seen coming from the building after the fire broke out. An update from Avon Fire and Rescue Service later confirmed that the blaze was not started deliberately.

Firefighters had 14 engines at the scene. Avon and Somerset Police officers and South Western Ambulance Service were also in attendance. However, it is understood that nobody required hospital treatment as a result of the blaze.

Shoppers and fans of the store were heartbroken at the closure, with one writing at the time: “I’m so gutted, I love Forbidden planet.”