Photo gallery: more former Woolies around the UK (part 2 – North Wales)
Tags: B&M Bargains, Colwyn Bay, Holyhead, Home Bargains, Kwik Save, Llandudno, North Wales, Porthmadog, Prestatyn, Publishers Book Clearance, Rhyl, The Original Factory Shop, Woolworths
Former Woolworths - now B&M Bargains - in Rhyl (25 Sep 2009)
Last month I posted photographs of eight former Woolies stores as far apart as Tamworth in Staffordshire and Perth in Scotland. Now, as promised, I’m pleased to present another collection, this time from my visit to North Wales back in September.
Former Woolworths, Holyhead (23 Sep 2009)
In Wales, I did pretty well to capture six old Woolies stores in the space of six days. First up is Holyhead, above, a town that, back in February, reportedly had a 39% retail vacancy rate.
Holyhead is just the kind of place where the closure of Woolies has left a really big hole. Though there is a Wilkinson on one of the out-of-town retail parks, I couldn’t spot any department store or good quality variety store in the town centre – just the type of gap that a store like Alworths could hopefully fill in the future.
Former Kwik Save, Holyhead (23 Sep 2009)
It’s particularly unfortunate that the shut-up Woolworths in Holyhead is directly opposite another large, empty and very forlorn-looking unit, formerly occupied by Kwik Save - a chain whose heartland was in North Wales. Though slightly off topic for a blog post about Woolworths, I also took a picture of the Kwik Save store for posterity, given that it’s quite unusual now to see an old Kwik Save store – particularly one in such a prominent location – that hasn’t been taken over by another retailer.
Celtic Gateway Bridge, Holyhead (23 Sep 2009)
I did find Holyhead to be a town of two halves – though walking up the main street was quite a depressing experience, there are obvious signs of recent investment. Most notably, the Celtic Gateway bridge - opened in October 2006, and linking Market Street to the ferry terminal and railway station - is stunning (albeit, for a Tynesider, oddly reminiscent of something else), and incidentally provides an excellent vantage point for photographing the back of the old Woolworths store.
Back of former Woolworths, Holyhead (23 Sep 2009)
Elsewhere in my journeys around North Wales, the stories of the old Woolies stores that I came across were generally more positive. Colwyn Bay was (and as far as I know still is) empty; however, the property is supposedly being actively marketed[broken link removed], is a good-looking building compared to many other Woolies, and benefits from being in a surprisingly lively and attractive town centre. Given these positives, I would be surprised if the unit wasn’t snapped up before long.
Former Woolworths, Colwyn Bay (25 Sep 2009)
Colwyn Bay's attractive Station Road (25 Sep 2009)
Just along the coast, the old Woolworths stores in Rhyl and Prestatyn are both now occupied. Rhyl’s is a B&M Bargains, though I was pleased to see that the building’s history is unlikely to be forgotten for as long as the large letters spelling out ‘WOOLWORTHS’ remain in the second-floor windows.
Former Woolworths, Rhyl (25 Sep 2009)
The store in Prestatyn, meanwhile, is now Home Bargains, featuring a similar, grey and burgundy fascia to that of the new Tamworth store. Once again, Home Bargains has done a good job of enhancing the building’s appearance with a surprisingly attractive new shopfront.
Former Woolworths - now Home Bargains - in Prestatyn (25 Sep 2009)
In the delightful seaside town of Llandudno, the old Woolies looks to have undergone a minimal makeover to become a a Publishers Book Clearance store.
Former Woolworths - now Publishers Book Clearance - in Llandudno (25 Sep 2009)
I’m sure that there should be an apostrophe in there somewhere – either Publisher’s or Publishers’ could work, depending on how many publishers are doing the clearing – but the business appears not to use one. On that basis, let’s hope the store offers Lynne Truss’ Eats Shoots & Leaves among its available titles.
Finally, in Porthmadog, I was able to get a photo of The Original Factory Shop, which has taken over the town’s former Woolworths site.
Former Woolworths - now The Original Factory Shop - in Porthmadog (21 Sep 2009)
Spot the Woolies clue!
Getting closer up, notice the little square icon on the entrance doors, divided into red and white triangles. Hurray that a little bit of Woolies lives on in North Wales!
Believe it or not, I still have photos of five more old Woolworths, all up here in the North East, that I haven’t featured yet. Looks like I’d better get on with Part 3…
Soult's Retail View» Blog Archive » Photo gallery: more former … | 01745 Information said:
Nov 22, 09 at 20:49[...] Excerpt from: Soult's Retail View» Blog Archive » Photo gallery: more former … [...]
Soult's Retail View» Blog Archive » Photo gallery: more former Woolies around the UK (part 3 – North East) said:
Nov 25, 09 at 00:59[...] Parts 1 and 2 of my former Woolworths photo gallery, it’s time to finish up – at least for the [...]
Soult's Retail View» Blog Archive » A postcard from Caernarfon’s closed down Woolies said:
Jul 20, 10 at 22:21[...] is one of the North East Woolworths sites that I didn’t get to when I was over there in September last year, and it’s interesting to see that it’s still empty and looking a little worse for wear [...]
Soult's Retail View» Blog Archive » Alworths comes to Llandudno said:
Jul 22, 10 at 20:07[...] of where in Wales Alworths might open up next. As we know, many of the old Woolies sites have been snapped up already, including several – among them Barmouth, Cardigan, Chepstow, Porthmadog and Pwllheli – [...]
Soult's Retail View» Blog Archive » The Original Factory Shop in Morpeth – a shift towards more upmarket locations? said:
Jul 28, 10 at 19:39[...] been snapping up quite a few former Woolworths branches across the UK – such as the one I visited in Porthmadog, and, closer to home, in Spennymoor. Established Original Factory Shop store in Stanley (12 Apr [...]
Soult's Retail View » The Wo- of Woolies makes a brief comeback in Rhyl said:
Mar 07, 11 at 23:49[...] leaf out of the West Parade side (below), where I noted the still-present Woolworths signage when I visited eighteen months ago. Former Woolworths, Rhyl (25 Sep [...]
Soult's Retail View » More of your ex-Woolies pics – and one that’s still very much alive said:
Apr 04, 11 at 21:55[...] a couple of weeks ago. Like quite a few other former Woolies in Wales – such as those in Porthmadog and Caernarvon – the site has been taken over by the expanding discount department store, The [...]
Soult's Retail View » On the hunt for ex-Woolies – and thriving high streets – in the Scottish Borders said:
Jan 27, 12 at 21:09[...] it’s made in other former Woolies sites such as Tamworth, Berwick-upon-Tweed (below) and Prestatyn. Former Woolworths (now Home Bargains), Berwick-upon-Tweed (24 Aug [...]