Long-lost London Woolies in High Holborn and Tottenham Court Road

Graham Soult

Retail consultant, writer, blogger; helping retailers via CannyInsights.com and CannySites.com. Say hello on Twitter at @soult!

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10 Responses

  1. Paul Scott says:

    F.W.Woolworth Tottenham Court Road, store number 175, was opened on the 28th. November 1924 at 20/21 Tottenham Court Road.I believe that the Landlord at that time was a Viscount Gort and the lease was due to expire in 2004. The store was a two floor affair with a sweeping staircase at the rear of the ground sales floor leading up to the first floor sales area which had a Tea Bar at the far end. The road side frontage was 38ft 9in, sales floor depth of 100ft 9in and a sales area of 7,120 sq. ft. There was a basement stockroom.As a point of interest, the manager’s salary in 1954 was in excess of £3300.00. A great deal then and reflected proper management well rewarded.

  2. Andrew-P says:

    I was in Greys Inn Road a week or so ago and the Argos seems to be a new concept with tablet computers rather than catalogues.

    A couple of other ex woollies in London that I know are Stoke Newington which became Iceland and Islington which became Waitrose.

  3. Graham Soult says:

    Many thanks Rana! I believe I’ve correctly identified the locations of the two Oxford Street ones here: http://www.soultsretailview.co.uk/2011/04/11/tracking-down-oxford-streets-second-ex-woolworths/

  4. Rana Singh says:

    My family ran two Indian Restaurants in the area:
    24 Goodge Street (1959-1972)
    60 Tottemham Court Road (1966-1992)
    so I grew round there.

    Woolworths were situated:
    Tottemham Court Road – south side of Stephen Street approx where Brian’s Hi-Fi/Sony Centre & Samsung Centre now stand. The area was totaly redeveloped in the 1970s. There never was A Woolies in the current Paperchase – our restaurant was right opposite it – but during a brief period in the 1970s it did sell drums electric guitars etc.

    Oxford Street – One in the main HMV. Woolies left in 1978 and the site became “Oxford Walk” which contained small independants before HMV opened in 1986.
    Second Woolies approx oppsite where BHS is near Oxford Circus.

  5. ruth says:

    can anyone tell me the name of a very large store(specialised in Mail order) on left hand side of sdtreet going towards City(near Holburn)..going back 40-50 years

    • FRANCO BOCCACCI says:

      I believe it was called “Shoptunities”and yes it did a lot of mail order.I remember buying my dad a black and decker drill in there

  1. April 11, 2011

    […] in London last week, High Holborn (store #173) and Tottenham Court Road (#175) weren’t the only two ex-Woolworths […]

  2. April 12, 2011

    […] Oxford Street (#161) and Kensington High Street (#162), which opened in August 1924, and High Holborn (#173) and Tottenham Court Road (#175), opened in November that […]

  3. February 18, 2012

    […] readers may recall my London-related post from last April, when I finally confirmed the location of the long-closed former Woolworths at 8-13 High Holborn […]

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