What's Your Woolworths Now?

[Butts]

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.

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

Thanks for that, I wonder what the biggest one (at the time of final closures was). At one time I'm sure they had over 900 stores maybe even 1000. They had pulled out of a lot of big "high streets" a few years before their eventual demise.

I think their problem was Supermarkets encroaching on some product lines and Argos on others, plus the collapse of LP's CD's etc to downloading.

Is there still not an online only woollies ?

I still remember their "That's the wonder of Woolworth" X-mas adds !!

 

[Trainfan344]

Lowestoft's store is now a QD with there being 2 QD's for a while.

 

[gazthomas]

Conwy's is now a Spar and Llandudno is a Sainsbury's Local.

 

[GWRtom]

Is now poundland

But in till recently it was 'wellworths'

 

[Max]

Woolworths in Beverley is now Boots (a much bigger and better stocked one than the town had previously!).

In Hull, it's now "DiscountUK".

 

[MidnightFlyer]

My local one became a split between Poundland and New Look (Poundland encroached a bit from the unit next door and New look combined the remainder with a little bit of the old TJ Hughes site, the rest of which disappeared under redevelopment works).

 

[Qwerty133]

I'm sure we had one at some point, but it closed before the end and I can't remember, or am not old enough to know where it was (leicester).

 

[Wyvern]

The one in Belper has been taken over by Iceland.

I remember when it had signs from before the war advertising it as the "sixpence and shilling store". (Woolworth's began life in the US as the "five and dime stores".)

Interesting so many have become Poundland.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I'm sure we had one at some point, but it closed before the end and I can't remember, or am not old enough to know where it was (leicester).

In Leicester, I think the main city centre Wollworths was initially where Granby Street becomes Gallowtree Gate, and then later was established in Humberstone Gate.

 

[BlueFox]

Is there still not an online only woollies ?

The brand was bought by Shop Direct who launched a Woolworths branded online store similar to their other brands (Littlewoods, Very, Isme etc)

 

[Blindtraveler]

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.

not totally true, Kirkwall is a Dealz - £lands mainly Irish more remote and hard to reach sister brand where all items are £1.20 to offset opperating costs - I know this, my Mrs used to live there!↲ that store was also Mountain Warehouse for a while.↲↲↲ As to Edinburgh 90019 has beaten me to it with most of it, interestingly ours were a bit different to the iceland or £ shop replacements. For the benifit of Dave Newcastle the East End woolies in Edinburgh went quite some years ago and as well as the smaller units there was a huge Burger King there. That, along with some of the smaller units have now been absorbed into what will be yet another overpriced hotel and an Apple Store! This development is running behind skedule.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
slightly more predictable in Musselburgh East Lothian, now £land - a transformation that took weeks.

 

[Kite159]

Andover's store is a Poundland
Salisbury's store is a New Look

The only other store I know around this area is Basingstoke which is part Greggs, used to be a Peacocks and is now an Internacionale.

 

[Hassocks5489]

Down here in Hove, it became Peacocks.

 

[tractakid]

The one in the Centre:MK became a TKMaxx

 

[telstarbox]

Which retailer will be the next big casualty? I can see WHSmith's high street business facing competition from various angles although their 'travel' division should be ok as it generally enjoys a monopoly where it exists.

 

[asylumxl]

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

Is it still M&C? I thought M&C closed down already.

 

[bronzeonion]

Ruislip High Street one is now a Tesco Express

 

[Strathclyder]

The one in Clydebank Shopping Centre is now a Wilkinsons. The Argyle/Jamaica Street store in Glasgow is now a Poundland. (Bottom floor only)

 

[swj99]

I used to go in the one in North Street, Chichester when I was down there. It was a Boots last time I looked.

Pic - http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4133/5017731825_54debcafb3_b.jpg

As I travel a lot I can answer a few in one go!
Rustington- Original Factory Shop

Would you happen to know where the old Rustington Halfords shop used to be, before they closed it and moved into superstore ? I had a look on streetview but couldn't work out where it had been.

There's a old article on a retail website from August 2010 with a list of what the Woolworths shops initially became - http://www.retail-week.com/property...ened-to-your-local-woolworths/5005683.article

 

[Butts]

What happened to the one in Southampton ? - that was quite a big one from memory. (Above Bar)

 

[Roverman]

I used to go in the one in North Street, Chichester when I was down there. It was a Boots last time I looked.

Pic - http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4133/5017731825_54debcafb3_b.jpg



Would you happen to know where the old Rustington Halfords shop used to be, before they closed it and moved into superstore ? I had a look on streetview but couldn't work out where it had been.

There's a old article on a retail website from August 2010 with a list of what the Woolworths shops initially became - http://www.retail-week.com/property...ened-to-your-local-woolworths/5005683.article

I'm pretty certain it was on Churchill Parade, my memory seems to think it was where Iceland is now located. No point looking on Google Earth as Halfords moved to their current site in 1996!

 

[D6975]

Former Woolworths in and around Bristol and Somerset:


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

No it isn't.
It's a furniture-ish type shop.
At least the front bit is, they've got a curtain closing off alot of it.

 

[craig87034]

Ours is a 99p store

 

[Lukeo2311]

My Woolworths is still a Woolworths (because here in Oz Land Woolworths is a major supermarket!) (God it was a funny thing discovering that on my first few days in Australia back in 2005)

 

[Clip]

I cant remember where it was in the first place now its been that long. More than likely a poundland.

 

[RJ]

The ones in Peckham and Brixton were like 3rd world bazaars shortly after closure - people were peddling all sorts of wares in there. Peckham's is now a Sports Direct and I think Brixton's became a H&M.

 

[Searle]

The old Woolworths in hertford became a 'Well Worth It' (pretty sure it was just a sole trader though), and is now a Pound Stretcher (not to be confused with poundland/poundworld!)

 

[cjmillsnun]

The one in Petersfield is now a 99p stores

 

[High Dyke]

Are there any "Alworth" stores left ?

According to wikipedia:

On 5 May 2011, it was announced that the entire Alworths business had been bought by Poundstretcher who were acquiring 15 Alworths branches. Those not acquired were Llandudno and Evesham, but the Evesham store was acquired by Poundland, while the Llandudno store became Sainsbury's Local. Another in Amersham had already closed in 2010.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alworths

My nearest store remained empty for over a year before becoming a B & M Bargains. At the time of opening the Chairman of Grantham Business Club said: “It’s definitely good news but my own view is being slightly disappointed that it is not a more affluent brand coming into the High Street, like a Primark." :roll:

Not wanting to go off-topic as such, but about a year later a similar fate befell my local M & S...a shameful decision to close that! It's now become a Boyes. http://www.boyes.co.uk/index.html

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Mine's a Next now. It's really hard to recognize Fishergate now in Preston, Woolworths was really distinctive.