* You are viewing Posts Tagged ‘Chester-le-Street’

B&M Bargains heads to Burton – but where next?

Graham Soult February 25, 2011 Property, Shopping Centres, Variety Stores, Woolworths 4 Comments

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B&M fascia

Many thanks to Lee Dymond and Martin, who both emailed me about the news of B&M Bargains opening in the former Woolworths store in Burton, Staffordshire. As I mentioned last month, the 11,000 sq ft Coopers Square unit has remained empty since Woolworths’ closure more than two years ago, but this … Continue Reading

Haldanes not ruling out purchase of “great” Netto Birtley store

Graham Soult January 25, 2011 Property, Supermarkets 2 Comments

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Netto, Birtley (24 Jan 2011). Photograph by Graham Soult

Netto, Birtley (24 Jan 2011)

When Asda’s sale of 39 surplus Netto stores was announced a couple of weeks ago, I noted that Birtley – a small town close to here, within the Borough of Gateshead – was home to one of the eight remaining Netto stores that Asda is still required to divest by the OFT.

As … Continue Reading

From Stanley to Spennymoor – another gallery of North East former Woolies stores

Graham Soult June 04, 2010 Property, Retail History, Woolworths 13 Comments

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Former Woolworths, Peterlee (12 March 2010). Photograph by Graham Soult

Former Woolworths, Peterlee (12 March 2010)

Only counting the (33) North East Woolworths stores that closed down following the company’s 2008 administration, my quest to photograph the full set is nearing completion – with five more new ones featured in this post, only Berwick, Billingham and Stockton’s Portrack Lane are left to get.

However, the ever-expanding list of … Continue Reading

The fight to be Woolworths’ heir

Graham Soult January 08, 2010 Brands, Independent Stores, Marketing, Online, Variety Stores, Woolworths 2 Comments

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Shop Direct's Woolworths.co.uk

Shop Direct's Woolworths.co.uk

Just a quick post this evening, but I wanted to flag up a well-written and interesting article by Kiran Stacey in yesterday’s Financial Times, entitled “The fight to be Woolworths’ heir”.

The piece covers some of the same themes as my own blog posts about Wellworths, Alworths and … Continue Reading

Woolies Winter Wonderland…

Graham Soult January 04, 2010 Property, Retail History, Shopping Centres, Woolworths 15 Comments

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Shot from 1998 'Woolies Winter Wonderland' TV ad

Shot from 1998 'Woolies Winter Wonderland' TV ad

 …That was the theme of Woolworths’ 1998 Christmas TV advertisement [broken link removed], in the heady, Tellytubby days when, as the ad reminds us, everyone wanted a Talking Po.  

This festive season, the incessant snow and ice has certainly made it a Winter Wonderland in the various town centres that I visited. However, 2009 has, of course, been the first Christmas without … Continue Reading

Vergo Retail – the saviour of unloved Co-op department stores?

Graham Soult July 23, 2009 Brands, Department Stores, Independent Stores, Retail History 8 Comments

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Co-op Department Store, Great Yarmouth, prior to Vergo Retail's takeover. Photograph by Stephen McKay

Co-op Department Store, Great Yarmouth, prior to Vergo Retail's takeover. Photograph by Stephen McKay

In the last couple of weeks, one interesting news story that has been easy to miss is the takeover of the East of England Co-op’s department store business by Vergo Retail.

Vergo Retail, as you may be aware, is the Liverpool-based operation headed … Continue Reading