Former Woolworths (now Poundland), Truro (21 Feb 2011)

Having visited and photographed nearly 150 ex-Woolworths sites in the last three years (including 17 in the last week alone) – 50 of which are yet to feature in the blog – it’s about time I did some catching up.

Earlier in the year I wrote about two of the Woolworths stores in Cornwall that had disappeared long before the retailer’s 2008 collapse: Redruth (store #813), which seemingly closed in the 1980s and is now Superdrug; and Launceston (#812), which became one of the chain’s earliest closures when it shut its doors on 9 June 1973, and has had at least three occupants since. I also mentioned the ex-Big W, just outside Redruth, which lasted only from 2000 to 2005 and was subsequently taken over by Tesco.

Former Woolworths, Launceston (21 Feb 2011)

What has become, however, of the ten Cornish stores that were still trading at the end – six of which I managed to visit back in February?

From the launch of the inaugural UK Woolworths shop on 5 November 1909, Cornwall had to wait more than eighteen years for its first Woolies to arrive: the store in St Austell (#291), which opened its doors in November 1927 and is now Poundland. However, more followed quickly after that, with both Camborne (#304; 24-26 Trelowarren St) and Falmouth (#306; 19-20 Market Street) opening the following year.

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

Regular readers will recognise the distinctive architectural style of the Camborne shop immediately, as it features all the hallmarks of the Woolies 1920s house style that I’ve highlighted many times before. However, rather like the Woolworths store in Llandudno (#269) or the original Redcar Woolies (#275), Camborne’s gained a side extension at some point in time – adding useful space, clearly, but detracting from the frontage’s appealing symmetry.

Less than a year after Woolworths’ collapse, the site was taken over by Poundstretcher. However, like in North Berwick (#804), the retention of the distinctive shopfront and black granite stall riser ensures that a bit of Woolies heritage lives on.

Former Woolworths, Falmouth (19 Feb 2011)

In Falmouth, meanwhile, more of Woolies lives on than the local council and shoppers might have wished: the property is yet to find a new occupant, and its Woolworths signage remains in place.

My friend Stu Wrigley sent me an updated shot from earlier this month (below), but apart from the addition of some hanging baskets little seems to have changed since February. Window displays installed by the town’s Business Improvement District (BID) team last year ensure that the building’s negative visual impact is reduced, but the obvious presence of a prominent, still-empty Woolies – now one of a dwindling number, three years on – is not really a first impression any town would wish to make.

Former Woolworths, Falmouth (3 Sep 2011). Photograph by Stu Wrigley

It’s surprising too, as the property is in a good location, and both Falmouth and the ex-Woolies building have significant charm. Since the 1950s view below, the insertion of a later shopfront and clumsily proportioned fascia have done the Falmouth store few architectural favours, but it remains at its heart a handsome and imposing property, not too dissimilar to the slightly earlier store in Chester-le-Street (#267) that now houses B&M Bargains.

1950s postcard of Falmouth Woolworths

Perhaps Falmouth’s ex-Woolies will have to wait until B&M makes its way to Cornwall – probably some way off given that the retailer has not yet expanded into the West Country.

Former Woolworths (now Poundland), Penzance (20 Feb 2011)

During the 1930s, Cornwall gained another trio of Woolworths stores: in Bodmin (#569; now Iceland), Liskeard (#623; now Superdrug) and Penzance (#651), the last of which I was able to visit. The store, at 106-108 Market Jew Street, is a curious pedimented twist on the usual Woolies look, though its transformation into Poundland – one of the most prolific occupants of ex-Woolworths premises – is less of a surprise. One half of a fourth Cornish Woolies from the late 1930s – in Newquay (#730) – also now hosts a Poundland store, with the remaining portion occupied by the fashion retailer Peacocks.

Former Woolworths (now Poundland), Truro (21 Feb 2011)

The onset of the Second World War – and the resulting ten-year hiatus in Woolworths store openings – meant that no more Cornish stores opened until the 1950s, with the aforementioned Launceston and Redruth quickly followed by Truro (#836).

Here, again, Poundland has taken advantage of the opportunity presented by Woolworths’ demise. It initially took over the whole of the large ex-Woolworths site on a short-term lease, with the intention of taking a smaller unit on a more permanent basis once the property was divided up. Its store now occupies the building’s prime frontage at 13-15 Princes Street (which clearly predates Woolworths’ arrival), while the Lemon Quay side has been taken over by Cotswold Outdoor.

Former Woolworths (now Cotswold Outdoor), Truro (21 Feb 2011)

In St Ives (#863), another expanding outdoor retailer – Mountain Warehouse – has taken over part of the space vacated by Woolworths at 35-37 Fore Street.

Former Woolworths (now Mountain Warehouse), St Ives (20 Feb 2011)

The five-storey property is quite unusual for an ex-Woolworths in that it’s built into a steep hillside with access on two sides; this has allowed it to be divided in half horizontally following Woolies’ closure, but with both the upper and lower units retaining street-level access. While Mountain Warehouse on the second and third floors fronts the busy shopping thoroughfare of Fore Street, the two-storey harbourside unit below houses Pizza Express (still under construction when I visited, but now completed).

Former Woolworths (now Pizza Express), St Ives (20 Feb 2011)

Reduth’s Big W aside, the final Woolworths to open in Cornwall was the store in the attractive town of Helston (#920), in 1956. Located at 31-33 Coinagehall Street, the property was only empty for a few months before being taken over by The Original Factory Shop in July 2009.

Former Woolworths (now The Original Factory Shop), Helston (20 Feb 2011)

So, of the ten Cornish Woolworths stores that closed following Woolworths’ collapse, only the one in Falmouth remains vacant – but with a ground-floor sales area of 6,864 sq ft, the store isn’t so huge that it should be putting off potential occupants.

With many of the takers of Woolies stores elsewhere in the county not yet represented in Falmouth, local traders and shoppers will surely be hoping that Poundland, Poundstretcher or The Original Factory Shop steps in to the breach before long.

Former Woolworths (now Poundland), Weston-super-Mare (21 Aug 2011)

In recent weeks, new developments in Newcastle, the collapse of TJ Hughes and the ongoing conversion of ex-Netto stores have given me plenty of topics to write about – somewhat at the expense of talking about new uses for former Woolworths.

Given the backlog of ex-Woolies pics that I’m building up, now is probably a good time to showcase a few of the stores that I’ve spotted on my recent travels, kicking off with three interesting and very different sites in North Somerset.

At the time of Woolworths’ collapse in 2008, the store at 64 High Street in Weston-super-Mare (store #81) was among the chain’s thirty longest-surviving shops, having opened its doors in about 1919.

In November 2009, the site was taken over by a combined Ethel Austin and Au Naturale store, but that closed down in March this year, having initially survived the cull that followed the retailer’s own collapse into administration in early 2010.

Former Woolworths (now Poundland), Weston-super-Mare (21 Aug 2011)

In May this year, however, the site was snapped up by Poundland – adding to its ever-growing collection of ex-Woolies locations – though the move does mean that Poundland’s former (but much smaller) site, further along the street, is now itself vacant. For what it’s worth, the new Poundland remains instantly recognisable as a former Woolworths, given that neither of the subsequent occupants have felt the need to replace the distinctive Woolies shopfront.

Former Woolworths (now The Original Factory Shop), Nailsea (21 Aug 2011)

Down the road in Nailsea, in contrast, the former Woolworths at 61-63 High Street (#1269) has neither a long history nor any architectural features that mark it out as an ex-Woolies.

Previously a Kwik Save, Nailsea’s 8,100 sq ft Woolworths only opened in October 2007; when it closed, on 6 January 2009, it was therefore among the shortest lived of all the chain’s stores. However, The Original Factory Shop took over the site in May 2009, adding to its own growing portfolio of ex-Woolies acquisitions across the country. Unfortunately I was passing through Nailsea early on a Sunday morning, meaning that I wasn’t able to get a shot while the store was open.

Former Woolworths (now Proper Job), Clevedon (21 Feb 2011)

While Poundland and The Original Factory Shop are among the most prolific occupants of former Woolies sites around the UK, it’s good to also see some independent retailers taking the opportunity to grow their businesses off the back of Woolworths’ demise.

One such location, which I visited earlier in the year, is the old Woolworths store in Clevedon (#992) at 5-7 Old Street. Opened as a Woolworths in about 1957, the building has the same typical Woolies shopfront as the store in Weston-super-Mare, and was taken over by Proper Job – a locally-based tools and DIY chain – in July 2009. Looking around the store, it certainly seemed like an Aladdin’s cave of home, garden, hardware and decorating products – a little like an indie hybrid of Wilkinson and Clas Ohlson – and is exactly the kind of useful shop that can really drive footfall and make a positive difference to a small town’s high street.

The apparent absence of a Proper Job website makes it a little hard to find out more about the business, but I understand that there are four established stores in the Somerset area – in Weston-super-Mare, Worle, Brislington and Glastonbury – as well as a newer one, in the former Woolworths in Bridgwater, which opened in June last year.

That store, no doubt, will crop up on the itinerary of one of my future visits to the South West…

Former Woolworths (now The Original Factory Shop), Chepstow (24 Mar 2011). Photograph by Alastair Leaver

Back in February I featured a batch of readers’ ex-Woolies pics, showcasing the former stores in Warrington (now Poundland), Batley (JBM Bargains) and Beverley (Boots). For its sins, Soult’s Retail View seems to have prompted people across the country to start photographing Woolworths sites, not just in this country but also further afield. So, here’s another trio of Woolies stores for you…

First up is the ex-Woolies in the Monmouthshire market town of Chepstow, which Alastair Leaver captured while visiting there 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 Original Factory Shop. As seems to be customary for that retailer, only minimal changes have been made to the property, with the recognisable Woolies shopfront still in place.

Former Woolworths (now The Original Factory Shop), Chepstow (24 Mar 2011). Photograph by Alastair Leaver

Just like its competitor B&M Bargains, The Original Factory Shop’s ability to reoccupy ex-Woolies sites with minimal fuss seems to work in its favour. The retailer reported a sales uplift of 23% in the six weeks preceding Christmas 2010, with a healthy like-for-likes uplift of 5%, and has plans to open another 35 stores during 2011.

In an uncertain economy, it’s hard to dispute that the retail industry is having a choppy time, with several new administrations – including Officers Club and Oddbins – in just the last week. It’s heartening, however, to see retailers such as The Original Factory Shop not just weathering the storm but really capitalising upon the opportunities left by others businesses’ weakness.

Former Woolworths (now B&M Bargains), Burton upon Trent (13 Mar 2011). Photograph by Martin Jarvis

B&M Bargains is another successful discount retailer doing just that. The 30,000 sq ft Gateshead flagship that I blogged about on April Fools Day may – for now – just be a flight of fancy, but I’ve regularly written about, and commended, the retailer’s ability to transform old Woolies into B&M stores in just a matter of days.

As I wrote in February, the old Burton upon Trent Woolworths, in the Coopers Square shopping centre, is one such location that B&M has recently taken over, with its new store opening there last month. Regular Midlands contributor Martin Jarvis kindly braved Coopers Square security to snap these shots of the busy B&M store.

Former Woolworths (now B&M Bargains), Burton upon Trent (13 Mar 2011). Photograph by Martin Jarvis

Expanding from 67 stores in mid-2008 to 197 two years later, B&M’s recent growth has been remarkable, much of it the result of snapping up former Woolies sites. However, as the stock of suitable ex-Woolies locations shrinks to a trickle, B&M’s presence on both high streets and retail parks gives it plenty of options – scope to continue expanding organically, while also making the occasional acquisition, such as last year’s Opus Homewares.

As in the paragraph above, I’ve had to develop quite a vocabulary for referring to the fact that Britain’s Woolworths is defunct, bringing out all the qualifiers such as ’ex’, ‘former’ and ‘collapsed’. However, the complicated history and fragmented legacy of the original, American F W Woolworth business means that there are still some places where ‘Woolworths’ stores are very much alive.

One such place is Germany, where reader Chris Exall captured a nighttime phone pic of this Woolworth-branded store, in the Bavarian town of Freising.

Woolworth, Freising, Germany (17 Jan 2011). Photograph by Chris Exall

Of course, Woolworth GmbH – the present-day chain of Woolworths stores in Germany and Austria – has nothing to do with its collapsed British namesake, though there is an element of shared history. Both are spin-offs from the American parent, the UK business having split off in 1982 and the German one as recently as 1998.

Given this heritage, its not surprising that the German business offers a vaguely familiar product mix – including stationery, homewares, toys and seasonal goods – though it also sells men’s and women’s clothing, ranges that the UK chain jettisoned back in the 1980s.

Ironically, Woolworths Germany itself filed for bankruptcy in April 2009, just a few months after the collapse of the UK chain, but the story has a happier outcome. In July last year, new investors saved the brand and around half the stores, resulting in a truncated chain of 158 ‘small department stores’, and there are ambitious plans to grow the business back up to 500 shops of between 10,000 and 20,000 sq ft each.

Germany’s Woolworths may not be quite the same Woolies as shoppers in Britain recall with such fondness. However, it’s pleasing to know that there’s at least one place in the world where high street Woolies shops not only live on, but are seen as having an exciting – and viable – future that celebrates and builds upon the business’s “proud tradition”.

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 has always seemed surprising given the shop’s busy location in a relatively modern indoor mall environment.

The news merely reinforces B&M’s status as one of the real profiters from Woolworths’ collapse, having snapped up tens of ex-Woolies stores across the country, including the one in nearby Lichfield.

Former Woolworths (now B&M Bargains), Lichfield (30 Sep 2010)

In the North East too, B&M has been rapidly expanding its presence by mopping up space that would never normally have become available, including large units in Stockton town centre, Whitley Bay and Chester-le-Street and, most recently, a portion of the old Big W at Portrack Lane.

B&M Bargains (former Woolworths), Chester-le-Street (24 Jan 2011)

Back in August, The Local Data Company suggested that 150 ex-Woolworths stores “may never be used as shops again” – a figure that, if true, would equate to almost one fifth of the former Woolies store estate.

I’ve always been slightly sceptical of these pessimistic projections, particularly given that my own research shows that 88% (45) of the 51 ex-Woolies sites across the North East, Cumbria and North Yorkshire have already been reoccupied for retail use.

Though the initial flood of new occupants for ex-Woolies sites has inevitably dwindled as the number of available sites reduces, B&M’s takeover of the Burton unit shows that demand has not yet dried up. Indeed, news reports from across the UK over the last few weeks show other discount retailers still on the ex-Woolies acquisition trail, such as The Original Factory Shop in Bargoed and the son-of-Ethel-Austin chain Life & Style in Swansea.

Former Woolworths, Clayton Street, Newcastle (27 Sep 2009)

Of the six former Woolies locations that remain empty in the North East, four – Peterlee, Wallsend, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough – already have a B&M store in the town centre or on a nearby retail park. However, with B&M Bargains not yet having a presence in Newcastle city centre, it wouldn’t surprise me if the vacant Clayton Street Woolies site was a target for the retailer in the coming months.

Despite the nearby extension of Eldon Square, and the recent arrival of some interesting independent shops and restaurants, Clayton Street remains very much a secondary, discount-led location, with Poundstretcher, charity shops, nail bars and the ubiquitous BrightHouse among its main draws.

With its in-your-face signage and minimal shop makeovers, B&M Bargains is not everyone’s first choice as a Woolies replacement. However, no-one can dispute the business’s recent success, and it’s certainly time for something to liven up a stretch of Clayton Street that has been empty and lifeless for far too long.

Former Woolworths (now Boots), Crook (6 Nov 2010)

Imagine a small town whose Woolworths opened in the 1930s, closed in the 1970s, and is now occupied by Boots.

A town where, even all those years later, the building is instantly recognisable as a former Woolies.

A place where, in 2010, discount retailer The Original Factory Shop has to some extent assumed Woolies’ place as a variety store at the heart of the town.

The Original Factory Shop, Crook (6 Nov 2010)

No, it’s not a rerun of my earlier blog post about the former Woolworths in Horley, Surrey, but the small County Durham town of Crook – along with Seaham, one of two urban centres in the county that had lost its Woolies many years before the retailer collapsed.

Crook Market Place, 1904. Image courtesy of C&DLHS

Between the 1830s and the end of the 19th century, the village of Crook blossomed into a town, its population growing from 200 to more than 12,000 on the back of the coal mining industry. The area around the Market Place grew into an important shopping centre for the town, with the imposing premises of the Crook Industrial Co-operative Society opening in North Terrace in 1876 – dominating the right-hand half of the early 20th century photograph below, but now demolished, and replaced by the town’s council offices.

Pre-1910 view of Crook Market Place. Image courtesy of C&DLHS

Comparison of the photographs above and below shows that Crook’s purpose-built Woolworths store was slotted in between the existing buildings, replacing what is shown in the earlier shot as the two-storey premises of Isaac Wilson.

Post-Woolies view of Crook Market Place. Image courtesy of C&DLHS

Edward Lloyd’s 1916 account of the History of the Crook and Neighbourhood Co-operative Corn Mill, Flour & Provision Society Limited – available in a full electronic version at the Open Library – reveals Isaac Wilson to be a ‘druggist’ which, as Tas remarked in a previous comment, “makes Boots’ [current] use of the site quite appropriate.”

Unsure of when exactly Woolworths in Crook had opened, I turned to the Crook & District Local History Society, to see if anyone local could shed some light on the subject. The familar architecture of Crook’s Woolies store, and the fact that Crook was unlikely to have been a particularly early Woolies opening, had suggested to me the early 1930s, an assessment that proved correct.

How the store looks today (6 Nov 2010)

Usefully, the C&DLHS has recently published a new 64-page book about Crook’s history, in which one of the ‘did you know?’ facts relates to the opening of the town’s Woolies store. It appears that the shop opened – for viewing only – on 1 December 1933, before officially opening the following day to the accompaniment of “an élite band playing melodies.”

This could well mean that the Crook branch was Woolies store #529, as that’s the only store opened between late 1933 (520 Alloa) and mid 1934 (536 Fareham) for which I have a number but no name. 

1950s postcard of Crook Market Place

Go forward to the 1950s, and the Woolies store is clearly visible, with its awning, on the left-hand side of the postcard above. Beyond it, the tall buildings of the Co-op store still dominate the town’s Market Place.

By the end of the 1960s, however, Crook was experiencing significant changes, with the mines all closed, the railway gone, and its population declining. Against this backdrop, and with the much larger Bishop Auckland Woolworths just six miles away, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Crook’s Woolies was one of the first in the North East to be closed.

However, compared to the detail that we know of the store’s opening, pinning down exactly when it closed is more challenging. It seems pretty certain that it was the 1970s – this is the C&DLHS’s best guess (with one member suggesting – but not certain – that it was 1972), and it confirms the account of Lorna Robson in Derek Phillips’ enjoyable The Wonder of Woolies book. Recalling her memories of working in the Crook store, she writes that “I left in 1968 and I believe the store closed in the 1970s.”

I understand that the store became Boots straight after Woolworths vacated it, with the chemist moving from its existing premises elsewhere in the town. So working out when Boots opened on that site could be an alternative way of narrowing down the date when Woolies closed. [UPDATE, 5 January 2011: So it proved! Brenda Smith from C&DLHS tells me that she has "finally found out that Crook Woolworths closed in 1973. This is reliable info - came from someone who worked for Boots at the time."]

With previous Woolies blog posts, Soult’s Retail View readers have done a fine job of filling in the knowledge gaps. Can you rise to the challenge again this time?

Many thanks to Crook & District Local History Society – and particularly to Brenda Smith and Harry Brook – for letting me use its historic photographs of Crook Market Place, and for providing the answer to the question of when the town’s Woolies store opened.

Former Woolworths, Whitby (16 Aug 2010)

As well as comprehensively exploring the North East, and making the occasional excursion into Cumbria or Scotland, I’ve also clocked a few of North Yorkshire’s former Woolworths stores over the last few months. 

Assuming I haven’t missed any, the county still had nine Woolworths stores at the time of the retailer’s collapse – in Harrogate (#131), Malton (#591), Northallerton (#847), Richmond (#641), Ripon (#492), Scarborough (#165), Selby (#663), Skipton (#579) and Whitby (#384) – three of which I’ve visited to date. 

One store not on that list – Knaresborough (#686; not visited yet) – came within a whisker of surviving until the bitter end. Following the sale of its lease to Tesco, the store had already closed down on 15 November 2008, just 11 days before the whole Woolworths business fell into administration.

Former Woolworths (now Boots), York (17 Jul 2010)

Another casualty from earlier in 2008 was the flagship store in York’s Spurriergate (#171), which closed in January of that year. Originally opened on 25 October 1924, the store was significantly extended and remodelled over the years. The site has now been taken over by Boots, with TK Maxx recently opening up in the smaller Coney Street premises that Boots vacated. Elsewhere in the county, Boots has also taken over the old Woolworths premises in Harrogate, relocating from a smaller unit across the street.

Former Woolworths (now Poundland), Scarborough (16 Aug 2010)

Over on the Yorkshire coast, the old Woolies in Scarborough and Whitby have both acquired new occupants in recent months.  

On the face of it, Scarborough’s branch in Westborough looks like an integral part of the town’s  Brunswick Shopping Centre, opened in 1990, with its modern redbrick appearance.  

In fact, a Woolworths store first opened on the site on 13 September 1924, and its current frontage is merely a 1990 skin on the front of what is basically a 1960s building. Go around the side, and the unmodernised Vernon Road frontage is quintessential postwar Woolies, with more than a passing resemblance to the contemporaneous Linthorpe Road store in Middlesbrough.

Vernon St frontage, former Woolworths, Scarborough (16 Aug 2010)

After remaining empty for more than twelve months, Poundland opened on the site in February this year – to the dismay of some. Indeed, where Facebook has tended to be full of groups advocating the arrival of one retailer or another in their town, Scarborough’s Poundland has prompted 2,800 members to join a group called ‘Scarborough Woolworths should not be a Poundland!’. While it’s good that the site is no longer empty, it is hard to argue with the view that Poundland trading from only one of Woolies’ two floors is rather a waste of the building’s potential.

Happily, the new occupant of Whitby’s former Woolies seems to have prompted less controversy. Scottish-based Outdoor World opened two outdoor leisurewear stores there in June: The Wilderness, trading from the upper level facing Flowergate; and Pine Valley, on the ground floor with access from St Anne’s Staith. When I visited, the stores’ layout, ranges and overall feel reminded me of Mountain Warehouse, another expanding discount outdoor retailer.

Former Woolworths, Whitby - Flowergate frontage (16 Aug 2010)

The building’s unusual configuration, built into a steep slope, allows both floors of the 1930 building to be independently accessed from opposite streets, as well as creating two interesting frontages that hardly seem to bear any relation to one another.

The Flowergate side has all the typical features of a purpose-built Woolies from the era – the five bays, central pediment, etc. – but with an extra storey compared to usual. Sitting at the bottom of Flowergate, this is a fine and imposing frontage that really dominates the street.

Former Woolworths, Whitby - St Annes Staith frontage (16 Aug 2010)

Around the other side, the property is no less impressive, towering over the buildings around it. Here, logic dictates, the building is four storeys high, but the clever use of a deep fascia gives the illusion of it still being three. The overall effect is slightly quirky – almost a typical Woolies façade, but one that has been vertically stretched. Certainly, with its position overlooking the harbour, there can be few old Woolies stores that occupy a more picturesque spot.

Former Woolworths (now Heron Foods), Richmond, Yorkshire (12 Mar 2010)

North Yorkshire’s remaining Woolies sites host the usual range of expanding discount retailers. The store in Richmond – much more of which in a future post – is now Heron Foods, Northallerton’s is Wilkinson, and Ripon’s is ^{[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, 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 stores that had already closed down in previous years – currently standing at 17, of which 7 have been photographed – means that I’ll be kept busy touring the North East’s towns and suburbs for a little while yet.

First up, however, are a couple of revisits, with the old Gateshead Woolies store (#154) still determinedly empty.

Former Woolworths, Gateshead (12 March 2010)

Better news in Chester-le-Street though, where the old Woolies (store #267) had been taken over by B&M Bargains since my previous visit a couple of months earlier.

Former Woolworths (now B&M Bargains), Chester-le-Street (12 March 2010)

The first new stop is Stanley in County Durham, where Store Twenty One has done a good job of turning the old Woolies shop in Front Street (store #873) into a bright and appealing fashion and homewares store.

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

Less impressive is the company’s website - firstly for not having the Stanley shop listed in its store locator, and secondly for having the phrase “cheap clothes” within its title tags. To me, the words “cheap clothes” conjure up an unpleasant – and probably unfair – image of the retailer’s range being 100% driven by price at the expense of fashion. Indeed, using such language surely undermines the more effective “fashionably affordable” tagline that is used elsewhere on the site. Hopefully these issues will be addressed when the promised new site launches later this month.

Staying in County Durham, the 5,000 sq ft former Woolworths in Peterlee’s Yoden Way (store #987) was still empty when I visited in March, and as far as I know remains that way.

Former Woolworths, Peterlee (12 March 2010)

Though hardly the most beautiful building, that row of shops holds some historic significance as the first part of Peterlee new town to be built. The Francis Frith website features a rather quirky shot of the Yoden Way shops  surrounded by empty space – certainly a contrast to today’s busy and built up shopping centre. The Woolworths shop is easily recognisable in the old photograph by its distinctive, pale façade.

Former Woolworths, Newton Aycliffe (12 March 2010)

Down the road in Newton Aycliffe, we have another new town, another empty Woolies (store #1007), and another property that wouldn’t win any prizes for its looks.

On to Darlington next, where the formerWoolworths at 12-18 Northgate (store #28) was in the midst of building work to turn it into a new branch of Next. I understand that the Next store is not open yet, but is due to be finished later in the summer.

Former Woolworths, Darlington (12 March 2010)

Cornmill entrance to former Woolworths, Darlington (12 March 2010)

Finally to Spennymoor, and the old Woolies there (store #278) is one of many nationwide that has been taken over by The Original Factory Shop, the self-styled “low-price local department store”.

Former Woolworths (now The Original Factory Shop), Spennymoor (12 March 2010)

The chain has a policy of opening in smaller towns with limited non-food competition, and this is reflected in its choice of North East locations to date – among them Ashington, Crook, Prudhoe, Shildon and Stanley.

Interestingly, The Original Factory Shop’s own website indicates that a new store will be ‘opening soon’ in Morpeth, in Northumberland – I can’t find any further details yet, but presume that it will be in the former M&S Simply Food unit, vacated last year following the opening of a full M&S store in the new Sanderson Arcade.

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…

Iceland continues to pick up more Woolies stores - this one in Hexham was acquired in January

It looks like the pace of Woolworths stores finding new occupants may be picking up, with more than twenty new announcements since I last blogged on the issue – at this rate I won’t be able to keep up!

Once again, the list of incoming retailers is as eclectic as we have come to expect:

• Blairgowrie: The Original Factory Shop (still tbc, subject to building issues) – full story
• Bristol (Hartcliffe): What Stores Ltd (family-owned DIY and variety store – I can’t find a website, buy you can read people’s reviews of the Cardiff superstore here) – full story
• Cannock: Poundland – full story
• Christchurch: 99p Stores – full story
• Colchester: QD Stores (independent discount retailer in the east of England) – full story
• Elgin: Poundland – full story
• Hawick: Farmfoods – full story
• Kingston-upon-Thames: Clas Ohlson – full story
• Leigh: Tesco Express - full story
• Nottingham: Poundworld – full story
• Peterhead: Iceland – full story
• Reading: Clas Ohlson (tbc – planning permission applied for) - full story
• Rotherham: B&M Bargains – full story
• Rustington: The Original Factory Shop – full story
• Stourbridge: Home Bargains – full story
• Thurso: Ethel Austin^{[broken link removed]} – full story
• Uckfield: WHSmith – full story
• Waltham Cross: British Heart Foundation (tbc – planning application submitted) – full story^{[broken link removed]}
• Wick: Ethel Austin – full story
• Worksop: B&M Bargains (tbc) – full story
• Wymondham: The Co-operative Food – full story^{[broken link removed]}

Meanwhile, the old Woolies in Rye looks set to become the town’s new library. This is positive in the short term in so far as it brings an empty building back into use. In the longer term, I’m not sure whether the viability of town centres is best served by taking over prime retail units for non-retail functions…