What's Your Woolworths Now?

[Liam]

Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes are now Home Bargains. Leven is now a Poundstretcher. Cupar became Alworths, now it's Poundstrecher. St Andrews is now a Nisa Extra.

 

[richw]

Ah yes, that Big W used to be brilliant. I'd forgotten about that. Did that close before the rest of the Woolworths? It seems like that Tesco Extra has been there a long time now.

I would guess it must have done, its been a Tesco since at least 2006 (An ex girlfriend worked there as Tesco when i dated her and i split from her in 2006)

 

[DaveNewcastle]

My nearest is now a Scotmid.

Nearest Big W spent years empty, but is now The Range.

Going back in time, there was a huge Woolworths at the extreme eastern end of Princes Street, in betweeen the Royal British Hotel and W. Register Street. The site is now about six, separate, smaller, national chain shops - I think there's a Boots, Evans, a phone shop and a couple of others in there now.

Wasn't there another vast Woolworths not far away? I recall an obscenely large site, occupying all of the last block of Lothian Road (at its south end, on the west side, before Tollcross) and which is now 12 smaller units.

One mid-sized Woolies in Newcastle is now a vast Wetherspoons pub (concentrating on serving table meals) and many more in the area become "Store Twenty One". Lots have been split into smaller units - Poundland and charity shops seem to be recurring incumbents.

 

[Techniquest]

Woolworths in Hereford (my closest one) has been a Peacocks for quite a long time getting now.

The one in Bognor Regis was my last Woolworths to visit, think it was the last day of trading too. Seems like a long time ago since they closed

 

[Liam]

Kirkcaldy also had a media only store on the High Street, in a different location from the main store. It closed years before Woolies administration and closure.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Those in South Harrow and Greenford are now both Icelands

 

[Mojo]

Ah yes, that Big W used to be brilliant. I'd forgotten about that. Did that close before the rest of the Woolworths? It seems like that Tesco Extra has been there a long time now.

The Big W in Filton was split in two; half became a Woolworths and half a TJ Hughes. When TJ Hughes shut down both units were vacant for a while. Now the former Woolworths is an Asda and the former TJ Hughes is opening as a similar type of store.

In contrast to the Poundlands, the old Woolworths on Edgware Road opened as a Waitrose shortly after Woolworths closed.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

My wife tells me that the large Stockport store in the Merseyway shopping precinct was split up into three separate units, all of which have been let to different types of retail outlets, that are quite good quality retail trading stores.

I note, from the reading of this thread, that the "Poundland-type" stores seem to have taken over quite a few of the Woolworth sites, which seems to keep the "cheap and cheerful" Woolworth's ethic still alive and to serve a definite need in the community in these days of financial stress.

 

[Butts]

Excluding the "Big W" I wonder what the largest and smallest Woolworth Stores in the UK were and what they are now ?

Are there any "Alworth" stores left ?

The former Woolworths in Kirkwall is a Poundland to add to their conquests.

 

[Class172]

The former store down Worcester's High Street is now a TKMaxx.

 

[bnm]

Former Woolworths in and around Bristol and Somerset:

Bedminster, Bristol, now Poundland.

Blackboy Hill, Bristol, was an indoor market, now Sainsbury's Local.

Broadmead, Bristol (The Galleries), was Family Bargains, a discount store, but is currently vacant.

Fishponds, Bristol, now Sainsbury's Local.

Hartcliffe, Bristol (Imperial Retail Park), originally a Big W, then split between Woolworths and Peacocks, now The Range.

Shirehampton, Bristol, now a gym.

Filton, South Gloucestershire (Abbey Wood Retail Park), building demolished (originally built as a Big W, then split into Woolworths and TJ Hughes), site redeveloped. Now ASDA and B&M Stores.

Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, now British Heart Foundation charity shop.

Yate, South Gloucestershire, now Bonmarché.

Clevedon, North Somerset, now Proper Job, a hardware store.

Nailsea, North Somerset, now The Original Factory Shop.

Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, was split between Ethel Austin and Au Naturale, now one store again, Poundland.

Bath, Bath and North East Somerset, now Sainsbury's Local

Bridgwater, Somerset, now Proper Job.

Chard, Somerset, now Store Twenty One.

Crewkerne, Somerset, now HomeFayre.

Frome, Somerset, now Iceland.

Glastonbury, Somerset, now Earthfare, an organic and ethical store.

Minehead, Somerset (closed before Woolworths entered liquidation), now Iceland.

Taunton, Somerset, now TK Maxx.

Wellington, Somerset, was Richleys Stewarts, now Coffee #1.

Wells, Somerset, now The Original Factory Shop.

Yeovil, Somerset, now Primark.

 

[GatwickDepress]

The Woolworths in Hastings is now a Sports Direct. The middle two floors (the bottom middle was the toys and clothes departments) are now storage and for renting out - when I take my moonlit strolls, there's always a light on up there showing a photographic studio.

 

[gazthomas]

Hitchin store has been split into a Poundland and M&Co

 

[jamesst]

The one in Liverpool City Centre is now Aldi, Birkenhead is Primark, Chester is Primark and Heswall is Goulds

 

[Tracked]

Doncaster one is now a Clas Ohlsen, but it was empty for nearly 2 years

 

[Tomnick]

Loughborough's Big W became an oddly-shaped and rarely busy Tesco superstore, despite a large Tesco Extra barely a mile away (and much more accessible) and an Express half a mile down the road. It was suggested that they moved in to stop Asda (who don't have a presence) and Morrisons (who occupy the cramped and well hidden former Safeway) from getting a look in.

 

[johnnyp_360]

Newmarket and Saffron Walden are now QD Stores (a chain of hardware stores across east Anglia)

 

[Roverman]

Worthing was also split up, Mountain Warehouse (33%) and H+M (67%). Its such a good split you'd struggle to know it used to be 1 shop!

Former staff from the Worthing store formed their own toy store called Toy Barnhaus as they reckoned Woolies was the place for toys and they now have stores in Crawley, Croydon, Epsom, Redhill, Horsham, Sutton and Worthing, mainly staffed by ex Woolworths people.

 

[backontrack]

It's a Boots.

 

[WestCoast]

A fair number of northern stores became Home Bargains, B&M and Poundland, with the benefit of hindsight, Woolworths could perhaps still be trading if they'd downsized and tried to become a discount chain rather than more of an outdated "general store" model. They did trial many different formats, they had pharmacy in some of their stores and the warehouse type Big W. Obviously it just shows that no retailer, however powerful and dominating they may seem, is immune from failure. However, the large prime located store in Blackpool became a TJ Hughes, which became a Poundland after that chain went out of business.

Two store in Lytham St Anne's became B&M Bargains and Tesco Express, in Preston Woolies is now Next. Lancaster's is TK Maxx.

The "anchor tenant" branch in the Pallasades centre in Birmingham was split up into a Poundland and a few other retail units covering takeaway food places. Although that unit is in a great location, it's a messy place with the Pallasades transformation at the moment into Grand Central New Street. Woolworths in Northfield, Birmingam is a B&M.

 

[Desiro360]

Woolworths in Felixstowe initially became a Proper Pound shop but is now currently a Peacocks clothing store.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

I wonder what happened to that Woman (ex-woolies Manager) who opened a "clone type" store in one of the former branches.

She was featured in some sort of documentary at the time if I remember correctly.

IIRC that was Wellworths, I could be wrong though. I think that's gone now as well though.

Ellesmere Ports woolies is now a Claire House charity shop I think, funnily enough it's been ages since I've popped into town! I remember it has been empty for about 3 years though.

 

[Cletus]

Dover's is a Peacocks, although it was originally over the road with three entrances in three different streets.

 

[sonic2009]

If it's not been mentioned, the one in Worcester was bought by Marks and Spencer, who had a shop next door, they combined the two properties in to a huge one.

 

[Drsatan]

The one closest to me is now a Co-op

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[talltim]

Chesterfield's is now an H&M

 

[LM 170]

Excluding the "Big W" I wonder what the largest and smallest Woolworth Stores in the UK were and what they are now ?

Are there any "Alworth" stores left ?

The former Woolworths in Kirkwall is a Poundland to add to their conquests.

Well after a lot of research I do know the smallest in the Woolworths in the UK in Liskeard, Cornwall and it is still empty now. Some images of the very small store.

http://flic.kr/p/6KCr7ghttp://flic.kr/p/6KCuxn

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The Huddersfield branch, like many others, is now Poundland. I remember when I was a kid the Woolies was huge, spread over 3 floors with a cafe. The Halifax branch was similar too. In the early 90s both were drastically downsized. The Huddersfield one only kept the bottom floor open, with the first floor being converted into 2 or 3 smaller shops opening onto New Street. Woolies still had entrances at that side, but with very steep stairs leading to the shop itself.

 

[bnm]

Many of Woolworths problems can be traced back to the demerger from Kingfisher PLC in 2000, and ever changing decisions since that demerger on which direction to take the business in. The writing was on the wall before the economic downturn began in 2007.

At the helm as chairman during this period was Gerald Corbett, former Railtrack Chief Executive.

 

[Crossover]

My local became a Quality Save fairly rapidly. They'd been in the town for a while in a smaller unit, so they took the Woolworths unit being a bigger store

I think Scarborough is now a Poundland. It may have become a Woolworths spin off in the immediate aftermath of the closures, but I can't remember for sure

This is Now Very Empty Woolworths in my home town of Kidderminster. I was the last ever customer that went into that branch I only just made it before it closed its doors for good on 27th December 2008.

I bet it doesn't look that well maintained now a few years on (I notice the picture is from 2008)

As I travel a lot I can answer a few in one go!

Stafford-became Sports Direct almost overnight.

Yes, that did happen rather quickly!!!