I can’t quite believe that it has come to this … that Woolworths, a British high street institution for the last 99 years, is about to shut its doors for good. Many people blame the “credit crunch” for Woolies going pop, but the business has been badly run for years and slowly lost its share of the market. From tomorrow they will start the Closing Down sale where every last jelly teddy from the pick n mix has to be sold to try to claw back as much as possible for the creditors.
The problem with Woolies is that it doesn’t focus on any particular sector, it does a bit of everything, but in smaller towns and cities such as Ripon where I live, Woolies is that general all purpose store that keeps you shopping locally. About 12 months ago Ripon lost its Choices / Blockbusters during the takeover due to a dispute over the owed rent on the building, so the only place that we had to buy DVD’s & games locally was Woolies. I would often get really annoyed though as you would find what you wanted on the shelves at Woolies, but once you got to the counter you were told it was out of stock… (no wonder they went under)
But in Ripon, Woolies provides a valuable resource for kids school uniform (now where will we get those black PE pumps from?), kids toys, pick n mix, the odd household item, birthday cards and lots more that we have all taken for granted. Now what will be left… lots of big empty stores on the high street where Woolies used to be and a lack of the “all-in-one shop” that we all use.
Then just announced yesterday the temporary deal done with the banks by JJB Sports to allow them a longer period to repay their debts of nearly £60 million … so will they be next to abandon the high streets?
21 Comments
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10th December 2008 @ 23:11
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Wollies has been an institution in Britian for years, a part of everyday life. I am very said it has had to come to this.
11th December 2008 @ 06:29
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I’ve done my best to promote Woollies - my first job, my first mini-skirt, my first boyfriend - lots of memories - unfortunately stock disappeared sometimes before I got the deep link up and running - I reckon the ‘high street’ will be unrecognizable this time next year.
11th December 2008 @ 07:01
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I FOR ONE WILL BE SAD TO SEE WOOLWORTHS GO AND MY CHILDREN IVE ALWAYS SHOPPED THEIR.FROM KIDS PUMPS TO DVDS TO TOYS,HOMEWARE.I ALWAYS FOUND IT GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY,ALWAYS GOT WHAT I WANT.MY KIDS HAVE ALWAYS GONE FOR A WANDER ROUND IF WE GO TO TOWN,THEY ALWAYS MAKE FOR IT AND THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ALWAYS HAVE HALF PRICE SALES.AND I FOR ONE WILL BE GOING TO THE CLOSING DOWN SALE!!! I HAVE VERY FOND MEMORYS AS A CHILD AND ITS VERY SAD.WHATS NEXT???
11th December 2008 @ 12:02
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As it turns out, half of the stuff which I wanted to get WASN’T reduced to 50%… Little bit miffed but managed to get some bargains though
11th December 2008 @ 13:24
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It is very sad - both for those who will find themselves out of work, and for our High Streets.
But I think you’re right - ultimately the stores were very poorly run. The often had large units (which must have been very expensive to rent), and often seemed to be out of stock of CDs / DVDs / Games etc.
I saw Frankie Boyle last Sunday who observed that they were bound to fail based on their business model of renting very large shops, mainly stocked with sweeties which cost 1p or 2p which they position as near as possible to the door so they are easy to pinch.
11th December 2008 @ 14:53
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7
The image conjured in my head when I think about Wollies is that of a grubby little store selling tat. With companies like Asda and more importantly Tesco moving into sectors like home, cloths and toys they should have smartened their act up years ago, it was inevitable.
11th December 2008 @ 16:32
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Am I the only one amused by the blatant monetising:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Woolworths+Closing+Down+Sale&meta=Chuckle… Outranking Sky, BBC, ITN… only The Telegraph pipping you to the top spot.
Love it
11th December 2008 @ 16:47
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I find half of Dave’s posts an education (when you read between the lines).
That’s one of the reason why this is my fav blog
11th December 2008 @ 17:30
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I think the Administrators had no intention of finding a buyer from day 1,they were just saying so to keep us staff co-operating in our own closures.
11th December 2008 @ 20:20
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hard to imagine the end of such an institution that one would have thought to be always around
14th December 2008 @ 18:28
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Although it is sad to see a high street legend which has been part of the British retail landscape go to the wall, many business models have survived in recent years due to the excess of credit/ debt.
Now the debt machine has been turned off (or shifted down to 2nd gear) many flawed business models are being exposed. It started with the banks, it’s sweeping through the car industry and retailers are being exposed.
RIP Woolworths.
14th December 2008 @ 22:36
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[...] Dave says, it’s hard to believe the show’s all over after 99 years. I hope they look after the staff or [...]
16th December 2008 @ 12:48
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The problem is, once again, that those of us who live out in the sticks, are rapidly losing all of our ‘CHOICE’ about where to shop. Our Post Offices have gone, or are going, our Woolies (in the nearest town Penrith 20 miles away) has gone, and many of the small stores in the market towns and villages are being forced to close by the appearance of gigantic Tescos et al.
The economics of driving 80 miles to the 24/7 Tescos escape me, so I shop locally and support our local stores, but as the choice diminishes, that is becoming ever harder. We are being forced online to shop, thereby depriving our local communities of that ‘blue pound’. ie the pound which passes from hand to hand within a community and helps to ensure its survival.
If all of us just shopped locally more often, we could help keep our communities alive. Cos boy, being British, we won’t half moan as the services etc deteroriate further.
16th December 2008 @ 13:56
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goodbye to all stiff neck , nose jabbing straight into the air, institutions. In this world you really have to adapt or die.
17th December 2008 @ 07:42
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what things have you got in stock
17th December 2008 @ 22:13
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have you got any clothing
17th December 2008 @ 22:13
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Anne - Are you drunk?? I know it’s Christmas but hey
23rd December 2008 @ 11:31
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Some people just write rubbish I used to go to woolworths when I was a baby with my Mum bit it was the old king street first in stretford manchester and I remember the onle in manchesters town centre on the corner near market street I will miss it because they’ll probably put a shop full of garbage in it’s place in stretford just like they have with other good shops that’s had to close down who’s next Wilkinsons??!!
26th December 2008 @ 19:46
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it is such a shame that woolies is closeing down it was one of my faviouret store i use to get all my games from them because they where good i will miss the store and the friendly staff and if i was a bank i would of help them
6th January 2009 @ 21:23
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Woolworths Closing Down Sale: http://tinyurl.com/5jav3b
11th December 2008 @ 14:41
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I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here Dave, it was badly run, didn’t know what direction to take and faced massive comepetition from both high-street and internet retailers.
But where it has a presence in smaller places it obviously still holds some esteem because of its history and the fact that many people have shopped there in the past.
It will be sad to see it go, but it has been on the cards for some time.