Woolaballoo.com and Deli at Number 4: Hexham’s new breed of web-savvy independents

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. Robin Horton says:

    You’re quite right Graham…
    I popped in this weekend and chatted to Tony in the paint section… there had apparently been a stream of people asking the same question. As far as they know, it is indeed just a sale.
    So, false alarm there on my part. Phew.

    My mistake for not expecting an incorrect interpretation of an American phrase to grace the windows of a Hexham department store.
    A good ploy to get people through the doors then!

  2. Robin Horton says:

    I’m not sure if you jinxed something this month Graham, but I just walked past Beales, and there are large “closing out” notices in the window. Rumours of a homebase down near the station which might hit the DIY section, and perhaps some of the clothing is a little behind times
    Now, my American is probably pretty poor, but I’m pretty sure that would be ‘closing down’ if it had been put up by Robbs.
    Quick search on the internet says nothing… in fact I came across your blog.
    Anyhow, just mentioning it should you wish to investigate…

    • Graham Soult says:

      It’s a dreadful and ambiguous phrase, but it’s not necessarily anything sinister – BHS (where the Beales boss used to be) has often used the term ‘closeout’ to refer, I think, to the end of its sale.

  3. Graham Soult says:

    Thanks Julie – I’ve corrected my text accordingly! The Woolaballoo.com ‘About us’ page doesn’t mention Crawcrook, which is why I got confused. It seems there’s also scope to beef up that page to tell readers a bit more about the business’s interesting history! ;)

  4. Julie Walton says:

    Woolabaloo didn’t start life as an online store. It was bricks and mortar in Crawcrook then Blackhall Mill. The website developed and ran alongside the shop business

  5. Will Ryles says:

    Another great example of a web based business in Hexham expanding into a retail unit is the new Wizard Bathrooms showroom next to the A69.

    In fact they have just taken over the exclusive Villeroy and Boch franchise in the area too they are doing that well.

    • Graham Soult says:

      Thanks Will! That might be another one to mention in my upcoming bathroom retail blog post – I always like to make connections to places and themes I’ve blogged about before.

  1. August 28, 2012

    […] Millets looks to have a new tenant waiting in the wings, a couple of other closures since my previous visit in June provide opportunities for further retailers looking to enter the […]

  2. September 7, 2012

    […] independent retailer with a great heritage or back story. Hexham’s Deli at Number 4, which I wrote about back in July, is a good example of this, with its ’About us’ page (above) telling the great […]

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