New Poundstretcher, Llandudno (8 Jun 2011). Photograph by Dave Roberts

Many thanks to my North Wales contact, Dave Roberts, who has sent me a photo of the former Alworths store in Llandudno being converted into a Poundstretcher.

When Poundstretcher’s purchase of 15 failed Alworths stores was announced last month, the stores in Llandudno – which was briefly seized by bailiffs in March – and Evesham were the only ones in Alworths’ 17-strong estate to miss out.

However, it seems that there’s subsequently been a change of plan in the North Wales seaside town, with new Poundstretcher signage now installed and the old Alworths branding removed from around the doors.

As Dave observes, there’s already a smallish Poundstretcher shop in nearby Upper Mostyn Street, and his assumption is that it will close once the new, larger store opens.

Upper Mostyn Street, Llandudno (25 Sep 2009)

However, there’s always a possibility that Poundstretcher will adopt a similar approach to in Swadlincote, where the converted Alworths holds all the convenience lines such as food, drink and some household goods, and the larger, established store opposite focuses on DIY, garden and furnishings.

Swadlincote's two Poundstretchers (2 Jun 2011). Photograph by Martin Jarvis

Llandudno’s ex-Woolworths site now has the slightly unusual distinction of being on its third incarnation since Woolies’ 2008 demise, with Publishers Book Clearance (complete with lost apostrophe) and Alworths both having been and gone in that time.

Former Woolworths as Publishers Book Clearance, Llandudno (25 Sep 2009)

Closing down sale at Alworths in Llandudno (4 Mar 2011). Photograph by Dave Roberts

Still, the fact that the property has stayed empty for very little time over this period is surely a positive reflection on Llandudno’s appeal as a shopping and visitor destination.

It’s heartening that even in a difficult economic climate for retailers, there are still plenty of growing businesses willing and ready to snap up the right sites in the right locations.

UPDATE, 23 June 2011: After all that, it looks like Poundstretcher ISN’T taking over the site after all – it’s reported that the landlord is doing a deal with Tesco instead.

Poundstretcher fascia, Camborne (20 Feb 2011)

Amid the gloom of Alworths’ collapse into administration last month, it seems that there’s now some good news. Retail Week is reporting that Alworths’ variety store rival, Poundstretcher, has bought 15 of the failed chain’s 17 stores.

Only the Llandudno and Evesham Alworths stores miss out – Poundstretcher already has a presence in the Welsh resort, and has recently been advertising jobs at what will presumably be a new store in the Worcestershire town.

Closing down sale at Alworths in Llandudno (4 Mar 2011). Photograph by Dave Roberts

The outcome seems like a positive result, saving the majority of Alworths’ jobs, and preventing the reappearance of empty stores on the high streets concerned. Indeed, the purchase includes several Alworths stores that had actually already closed their doors in the last few weeks.

The widely used ‘son of Woolworths’ tag reflected Alworths’ name and business model, as well as the fact that most – though not all – of its stores were former Woolies sites. Several more recent openings, including Newark, Maidenhead and Alloa, took over premises vacated following the collapse of the fashion chain Ethel Austin.

For Poundstretcher, the deal adds to the collection of ex-Woolworths stores that it has acquired already, which stretch from Scotland (North Berwick, Edinburgh) to Cornwall (Camborne) and Northern Ireland.

Former Woolworths (now Poundstretcher), North Berwick (2 May 2010)

The fact remains, of course, that Poundstretcher is itself a lossmaking business. Back in July, I remarked that Poundstretcher’s parent company had racked up total pre-tax losses of more than £33m across the previous four years, and Retail Week has subsequently argued that the chain faces an “uphill struggle” to compete against “an impressive array of apparently more sophisticated and profitable value players.”

Former Woolworths (now Poundstretcher), Camborne (20 Feb 2011)

Today, we can certainly celebrate the good news of Poundstretcher’s acquisition of Alworths. However, the really hard work will be Poundstretcher proving that its business model is still viable, relevant and – crucially – profitable.

Full list of Alworths stores acquired by Poundstretcher:

• Alloa
• Bellshill
• Cosham
• Cupar
• Didcot
• Forfar
• Hertford
• Maidenhead
• Newark
• Newhaven
• New Milton
• Swadlincote
• Tiverton
• Warminster
• Wokingham.

Original former Woolworths (now Store Twenty One), Redcar (4 May 2011)

One of my main motivations for visiting Redcar yesterday was to get a photo of the town’s original former Woolworths at 19 High Street, above, which – inexplicably – I’d failed to spot when I was there the previous time.

I should have known from the store number of the Redcar Woolworths – 275, giving an opening date of 1929 – that the more modern building at 39-43 High Street, now occupied by the Yorkshire Trading Company, below, couldn’t have housed Redcar Woolies since the beginning.

...and its 1950s (?) replacement (4 May 2011)

Redcar’s original Woolworths, as regular readers will expect by now, is classic interwar Woolies architecture, with all the usual features – redbrick and white render, with small windows either side of a three-bay-wide pedimented section. Curiously, there are two additional bays on the right-hand side, suggesting that it was at some point extended – rather like the store in Llandudno.

Original former Woolworths (now Store Twenty One), Redcar (4 May 2011)

The design of the main section, interestingly, is almost identical to the original Woolworths in Byker’s Shields Road, below, though Redcar’s is in a generally better state of repair. This similarity is unsurprising – Byker was store number 276 to Redcar’s 275, meaning that the two stores would have been built and opened within just a few weeks of one another.

Original Woolworths, Byker (27 Sep 2009)

The old postcard, below, shows a yet-to-be-pedestrianised Redcar High Street in what I think is the 1950s, with the Woolworths store visible, in its original location, on the far right.

Old postcard of Redcar High Street, c.1950s

If you click on the image above to enlarge it, you can see that the Woolworths store has its upstairs windows open, revealing an art deco design very similar to those shown in the photo of the Byker store. Sadly, I understand that the Byker ex-Woolies’ original windows have been ripped out and replaced in just the last few months.

One piece of information I’m not clear about is when exactly Redcar’s Woolworths moved from its original location to the new site. My hunch, however, is that it may have been in the late 1950s, given that the replacement store still has in place its distinctive 1960s Woolworths shopfront, complete with shiny black stall riser.

Former Woolworths, Redcar (17 Sep 2009)

Bringing this post nicely full circle with the previous one, about Redcar’s ‘virtual shops’, the town’s original Woolies site happens to be a property that has only recently acquired a new occupant after years of standing empty. The expanding fashion retailer Store Twenty One opened its new store there only a few weeks ago, reunifying the two parts of the building that had previously housed a McDonalds restaurant and a card shop.

This makes Redcar the fourth Store Twenty One branch in the North East to have a Woolworths history, following the chain’s recently opened stores in Stanley, Jarrow and Houghton-le-Spring (pictured below) – all sites vacated following Woolworths’ 2008 collapse. Just as elsewhere, the retailer’s new Redcar store is surprisingly smart and appealing for a value chain, and certainly makes a positive impression on the streetscape.

Store Twenty One, Jarrow (24 Jul 2010)

Former Woolworths (now Store Twenty One), Houghton-le-Spring (1 Mar 2011)

Former Woolworths (now Store Twenty One), Stanley (12 April 2010)

Owned since 2006 by Indian textiles group Alok, Store Twenty One may not be an especially well-known retail name, but its aggressive expansion in the last few years has certainly played an important role in regenerating North East high streets – often in locations that other retailers might have overlooked.

The downside, of course, is the restructured business’s failure, as yet, to make a profit, though pre-tax losses for the group (including QS, as well as Store Twenty One) have fallen from a peak of £27.5m in 2007 to ‘only’ £6.4m in 2010. With the owners promising a “definite” profit for the year ending March 2011, it has to be hoped that Alok’s investment in new and improved stores comes good before too much longer.

With the ex-Woolies in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough now in new tenants’ hands (as BHS and Discount UK repectively – more on that in a future post), my reckoning is that of the 33 North East stores closed following Woolworths’ collapse, just four remain empty – in Wallsend, Peterlee, Newton Aycliffe and Newcastle. Coincidentally, none of these are locations where Store Twenty One currently has a presence.

With Alok reportedly seeking to double its UK store numbers from the current 200+, perhaps it could yet snap up the lot? Whenever it happens – and it may not be too much longer – the North East achieving a 100% hit rate of Woolies reoccupations will certainly be a cause for celebration, reinforcing the sense that even in the midst of an economic downturn there are still plenty of expanding retailers seeking out the right space.

'Notice of Peaceable Re-entry' at Alworths, Llandudno (7 Mar 2011). Photograph by Dave Roberts

Following a weekend of speculation about the future of ‘son of Woolworths’ chain Alworths, events have taken a further turn today with the news that bailiffs have seized the chain’s Llandudno store.

The ‘Notice of Peaceable Re-entry’ (above – click to enlarge), photographed for Soult’s Retail View by Dave Roberts, cites the business’s “failure to pay rent due” as well as “breach of Clause 35.1 (c.111) as provided for in the lease.”

This clause, according to the notice, relates to “the giving of any notice of intention to appoint an administrator, or the filing at court of the prescribed documents in connection with the appointment of an administrator, in any case in relation to the tenant or the guarantor.” This would seem to add weight to Retail Week’s article from Friday, which broke the news of Alworths’ apparent difficulties and speculated that a pre-pack administration may be on the cards.

Closing down sale at Alworths in Llandudno (4 Mar 2011). Photograph by Dave Roberts

According to Dave, the bailiffs changed the Llandudno store’s locks, with all of Alworths’ stock and fittings still inside. Only a few days ago, at least three Alworths stores – in Alloa and Evesham, as well as Llandudno – launched closing down sales, captured by Dave (above) on Friday. It’s not yet clear whether any other stores within the 17-strong chain have been subject to re-entry proceedings today.

Whatever happens next, it’s a sad and disappointing situation for a business that had promised to replicate the best bits of Woolworths while avoiding its predecessors’ pitfalls. It’s also clearly unsettling for the chain’s hardworking staff, many of whom are ex-Woolies workers and have already been through one retail collapse.

As my 18 Alworths-tagged posts testify, I’ve been consistently supportive of what Alworths has tried to achieve, and many of its business decisions have – at least outwardly – seemed sensible.

Woolworths, for example, tended to struggle with its larger stores in bigger town and city centres, but was often a key retailer in smaller communities – those places where it was the only shop in town to sell buttons, DVDs or toys. On this basis, Alworths’ decision to open relatively compact shops (less than 10,000 sq ft) in predominantly small, market town locations appeared logical.

Equally, where Woolworths struggled under its big corporate structure and relative inability to respond to local variations, Alworths’ head office has always appeared to be a leaner, nippier operation.

The now-closed Alworths in Amersham (14 May 2010)

Perhaps most importantly, the Alworths brand seemed to be gaining recognition and popularity within the communities served by its stores – always, you might argue, one of the most powerful assets of the defunct Woolworths.

However, none of this counts for anything if the business can’t make money, and the absence of recent updates from Alworths – whether in terms of store announcements, tweets or website content – can be seen, in hindsight, as a clue to all not being well.

Closing down sale at Alworths in Llandudno (4 Mar 2011). Photograph by Dave Roberts

Over the coming days and weeks, it will no doubt become clearer whether Alworths has a future, and what form that might take. Retail Week’s article last week cited documents filed at Companies House, which showed that Alworths boss Andy Latham had resigned as a director of the company.

In turn, it reported that a new company – Retail Acquisitions, with Latham as one of its directors – had been set up, and was “expected to take control of Alworths.” However, history – such as the experiences of Vergo Retail and Ethel Austin – has showed us that former owners buying back collapsed businesses under a new name have a patchy record of success.

Understanding what has gone wrong with Alworths this time will be critical, if the same mistakes – whatever they turn out to be – are not simply to be repeated. Indeed, what makes the present episode most surprising is that Alworths’ public pronouncements have consistently suggested that the chain was trading strongly.

While Claire Robertson’s tweets give every indication that Dorchester’s Wellworths is still thriving, Alworths’ woes will raise questions over how far a ‘son of Woolworths’ formula can be resurrected at a national rather than a shop-by-shop level.

My friend and fellow retail blogger Steve Dresser, reacting on Twitter, remarked that “Woolworths failed due to it not being a practical business – Alworths was hardly going to be different.” Current events suggest that he may well be right.

UPDATE, 9 March 2011: I understand that Alworths in Llandudno is open again today, after being closed Monday and Tuesday. Presumably the unpaid rent has been sorted?

Former Woolworths in Llandudno (25 Sep 2009)

Well, that’s a coincidence. Having blogged about the former Woolworths in Llandudno just a couple of days ago, Alworths has announced today that it will be taking over the site for its 11th store – and its first in Wales.

Having been occupied by a discount book store (Publishers Book Clearance) from April last year until just a few days ago, the Mostyn Street premises will reopen as Alworths on 13 August – earlier, it would seem, than the unofficially revealed new Alworths stores in Hertford and Tiverton.

Former Woolworths and Publishers Book Clearance, Llandudno (25 Sep 2009)

I’ve made a bit of a habit lately of rumbling Alworths’ store plans ahead of the official announcements – probably to the despair of the lovely PR people ^{[broken link removed]} - so all credit to MD Andy Latham and his team for getting one over me with this latest news!

The only whiff I got ahead of time was somebody finding Soult’s Retail View yesterday via a search for ‘Alworths Llandudno’ (which naturally piqued my curiosity), coupled with an awareness that the Llandudno site was now vacant again.

Pound-Mart's Cupar store (now Alworths), prior to closure. Photograph courtesy of Pound-Mart

Interestingly, just like the new Llandudno shop, several of the latest Alworths stores occupy former Woolies units that have temporarily housed other retailers – including those in Forfar and Cupar (previously Pound-Mart), and Hertford (formerly Well Worth It). As well as monitoring the BT Phone Book, it seems I need to keep an eye out for ‘end of lease’ sales as a possible sign of an impending Alworths.

Heading to Llandudno (20 Sep 2009)

Talking about the Llandudno outlet, Andy Latham rightly flags up that it will be Alworths’ “first coastal store”, and that Alworths will therefore “tailor the ranges accordingly”. In addition to the usual Alworths ranges, “holiday essentials and a range of beach toys” are promised during peak summer months.

Llandudno from the Great Orme (20 Sep 2009)

This sounds like a canny move – after all, Llandudno is a vibrant and highly attractive seaside resort, that still attracts a great many holidaymakers to enjoy the Great Orme Tramway, the Haulfre Gardens, and the town’s impressive pier. The top end of Mostyn Street has reportedly suffered from the loss of Woolworths, so a store that caters equally for both locals and visitors may be just what’s needed to perk things up again.

Empty unit in Llandudno's Mostyn Street (25 Sep 2009)

Just as Alworths’ press release for the Alloa store was interesting in flagging up its plans to open a further seven stores in Scotland “over time”, the Llandudno announcement reveals ambitious plans for Wales too. Latham reveals that the fledgling chain is “looking at a variety of other sites in both North and South Wales and we are looking to open a minimum of five more Alworths stores in Wales over the next year.”

This inevitably raises the question 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 – by The Original Factory Shop, a retailer with a product mix not too dissimilar to that of Alworths.

Of the three vacant Woolies sites in Wales that I blogged about a couple of days ago – in Caernarfon, Holyhead and Colwyn Bay – the former would seem the most likely potential location for an Alworths. Colwyn Bay, in contrast, has quite a bit of competition already, including Home Bargains, Instore and Argos in the buzzing Bayview Shopping Centre, and the planned branch of The Original Factory Shop that I mentioned in my earlier post.

When I first blogged about Holyhead back in November, I remarked that it was “just the kind of place where the closure of Woolies has left a really big hole.” I continued: “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.”

With Alworths now making its presence felt in North Wales, we’ll have to wait and see whether Holyhead is indeed part of its future plans.

Former Woolworths, Caernarfon (July 2010). Photograph by Sally Daffarn

I’m not quite sure if it should be a cause for celebration or urgent self-reflection when my friends start emailing over photographs of old Woolworths that they have spotted on their travels… Whichever, many thanks to Sally Daffarn for capturing this shot of the former Woolies in Caernarfon, which she “saw on holiday and thought of you!”

Caernarfon 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 by now. I can only assume that plans to convert the building into two shops, office accommodation and flats – announced in April last year – have fallen through.

For the moment at least, it means that Caernarfon’s Woolworths is one of a dwindling number that are still vacant, more than 18 months on from the retailer’s high profile collapse.

Former Woolworths and Publishers Book Clearance, Llandudno (25 Sep 2009)

Indeed, of the six North Wales Woolies that I saw in September, four were already reoccupied back then, by Publishers Book Clearance (Llandudno), Home Bargains (Prestatyn), The Original Factory Shop (Porthmadog) and B&M Bargains (Rhyl) – a pretty good snapshot of the types of retailers that have taken over Woolies sites across the UK as a whole.

I understand, however, that Publishers Book Clearance in Llandudno has closed down within the last few days due to the end of its temporary lease. I’m not clear whether any other retailer is lined up to move in. [UPDATE, 21 July 2010: There's a story about the closure of the store in today's North Wales Pioneer, which seems to confirm that no new tenant is in place yet.]

Planned site for The Original Factory Shop in Colwyn Bay (25 Sep 2009)

As for the two old Woolies stores that were empty when I visited – Colwyn Bay and Holyhead – I can’t find any evidence of either being occupied since.

Interestingly, The Original Factory Shop has recently announced plans to open in Colwyn Bay, but on the site of The Litten Tree pub in Station Road (still open when I visited) – despite the firm’s marketing director noting that “we have taken over a lot of the old Woolworths sites across the UK.”

Ethel Austin in Holyhead's Stanley Street, prior to closure (23 Sep 2009)

Meanwhile, it sounds like Holyhead’s high level of voids – which already included Woolies, Kwik Save and many others – has been further compounded by the loss of its Ethel Austin. However, it’s positive to read that the town is receiving funding from both the EU and the Welsh Assembly Government “in a bid to create jobs, win back shoppers and build on tourism projects”, and that “Anglesey County Council is inviting expressions of interest from those wishing to improve, develop, or occupy vacant premises in Holyhead Town Centre.”

Former Kwik Save, Holyhead (23 Sep 2009)

For all the vacant units, I felt that Holyhead had a great deal of charm and character when I visited last year, and was let down by some really unappealing and neglected buildings. Hopefully initiatives like the one that’s underway can tackle these barriers to investment, helping the town turn the corner, and encouraging it to become the vibrant place that would befit its status as a major ferry gateway into the UK.

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…