Gone but not forgotten: The wonder of good ol' Woolies

It seems the classic jingle of “That’s the wonder of Woolworths, that’s the wonder of good ol’ Woolies” still chimes with British shoppers, with the retailer topping a consumer poll of the most missed shops on the high street.

Despite the disappearance of many top retail brands during the Covid pandemic, including Topshop and Debenhams, and the earlier demise of Laura Ashley and Mothercare, “good ol’ Woolies”, carries the love, according to research from ParcelHero.

Originally a division of the American FW Woolworth Company, Woolies opened its first UK store in Liverpool in November 1909 and had its own Ladybird children’s clothing range, value range WorthIt!, toy range Chad Valley and Pick ‘n’ Mix.

In 1982, the UK operation was sold to Paternoster Stores, the forerunner of Kingfisher plc, but by January 2009 it had ceased trading on the high street.

Parcel Hero head of consumer research David Jinks said: “Consumers are showing decreasing brand loyalty in the era of Internet shopping, but still remain loyal to the memory of many former favourites.”

After Woolworths comes Debenhams, which closed its high street stores in 2021, although it survives online as part of Boohoo. The department store could trace its history back to 1778; respondents said they particularly valued Debenhams’ beauty products, cafes and handy toilets.

Third on the list is Mothercare, with shoppers saying they missed the fact they could buy large items such as prams, together with smaller items including children’s clothing, in one shop. Mothercare opened in 1961 and closed its UK stores in 2019, though it is still represented on high streets inside Boots chemists.

Fourth is Laura Ashley, which was founded in 1963 but went into administration in 2020 as a result of changing consumer fashions. The Laura Ashley brand still survives in many Next stores.

Making up the top five is Topshop, founded in 1964. In 2021, Asos took over the brand, which continues as an online only retailer.

Respondents also listed many other familiar names that they wish were still in existence, including BHS (which closed in 2016), Toys ‘R’ Us (2018), Blockbuster (2013), Athena (1995) and Tandy (2001).

Jinks concluded: “It’s interesting that most of the top five stores still have an online presence. Indeed, there was huge excitement over the fake launch of a new Woolworths site last year.

“However, we have been warning about the dangers of a shift to online only stores for some time. We believe a balanced bricks and clicks approach will be best for retailers and shoppers alike.”

TOPICS:ecommerce online shopping Retail retail marketing