The Wo- of Woolies makes a brief comeback in Rhyl

Former Woolworths, Rhyl (27 Feb 2011). Photograph by Dave Roberts

While Llandudno mulls the loss of its Alworths, the former Woolworths in nearby Rhyl is trying to make an unexpected comeback.

As captured by Dave Roberts, above, part of the B&M Bargains sign has fallen off, exposing the old Woolworths signage underneath.

Perhaps the store’s High Street frontage is taking a 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 2009)

As my George Rye example from August 2009 showed, fallen-off signs are often fun in revealing little bits of retail history that might otherwise be forgotten. In this particular case, the exposed Woolies sign also reminds us of why B&M is succeeding where Woolies failed – by minimising its costs, and doing as little as necessary to get its new stores open and trading in record time.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to invest in some stronger adhesive…