Hessle Road’s long-gone Woolworths and its successors
While tearing around Barnsley and Hull visiting UGO supermarkets last month, I was pleased to be able to work in an unexpected ex-Woolworths. Not knowing Hull...
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As Discount UK opens in Newcastle, Poundstretcher watches
Poundworld-owned variety retailer Discount UK has opened its Newcastle store today, with stilt walkers and free sweets on hand to welcome shoppers to the former...
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A new UGO tour: positive signs as I go supermarket spotting in Barnsley and Hull
The emergence of UGO as Britain’s newest discount supermarket chain has been one of the most interesting retail launches of 2011 so far. Back in January,...
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The North Face opens its Newcastle flagship store
The Californian outdoor brand The North Face has opened its new store in Newcastle in the last few days – though you could easily be...
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Newcastle’s Discount UK readies for 4 November opening
Discount UK, the Poundworld-owned variety store retailer, is to open the doors of its new Newcastle store at 10am on Friday (4 November). As I reported a...
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The Spanish indie retailer with a North East design connection
Many of you will have seen my retail column in the Bdaily last week, where I discussed some of the key ingredients that help to make a...
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Ledbury’s ‘son of Woolies’ – and a visual identity inspired by the past
Dorchester’s famous Wellworths may have had to change its name to Wellchester at Shop Direct’s behest, but a store in the Herefordshire town of Ledbury...
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Interview: Isabel Macdonald, Branch Manager, John Lewis at Home Tamworth
Tamworth’s new John Lewis at Home opened its doors on Wednesday (12 October), eight months after I broke the news of its impending arrival. The 42,000 sq ft...
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Has Britain fallen out of love with Tesco?
Today’s release of fairly weak UK trading figures from Tesco – where like-for-like sales, excluding petrol and VAT, fell by 0.5% in the first half...
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End of an era as Newcastle Woolworths signage comes down
Newcastle’s ex-Woolworths in Clayton Street (store #340) has been one of a dwindling number to retain its Woolies signage three years on, as more and...
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Has Discount UK signed up for Newcastle’s old Clayton Street Woolies?
It seems we might finally have an answer to all the work that’s been going on recently at the old Newcastle Woolworths at 73-79 Clayton Street...
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As South Shields’ Woolies is filled, there’s good news for Byker and Wallsend too
Store Twenty One has opened its doors in South Shields today, meaning that the whole of the former Woolworths unit at 100-108 King Street (store...
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Peacocks and Poundland get ready to open in Hitchin’s former Woolworths
Earlier in the week I mentioned how the former Woolworths in Newquay had been divided up between Poundland and Peacocks. Now the same process is...
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The new occupants of Cornwall’s ex-Woolies – plus one that’s still empty
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...
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As Wellworths becomes Wellchester, Claire Robertson talks tweaking and expansion
For someone who makes a habit of visiting old Woolworths – and I’ve racked up about 140 so far – there can be few ex-Woolies...
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Swindon’s former Woolworths store – past, present and an uncertain future
If you saw my earlier post about the shiny new BHS in Swindon, you might be wondering what happened to the retailer during the 18-month period...
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Swindon’s BHS provides a taster of what Newcastle and Hartlepool can expect
While visiting Swindon’s out-of-town John Lewis at Home, I also managed to spent some time exploring the town centre. The open-air Parade shopping centre has the distinction...
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As Stratford City opens, I check out John Lewis’s answers to the lack of other new schemes
As the vast Westfield Stratford City opens its doors today, it’s little wonder that most of Twitter’s retail commentators seem to have decamped to east London. With...
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There’s still time to enter Stockton Borough’s Town Centre Business Awards
Since I blogged about my judging role as part of Stockton Council’s first ever Town Centre Business Awards, launched back in July, I’m pleased to...
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Putting Asda’s Price Guarantee to the test – in an ex-Netto Asda Supermarket
Judging from the number of hits – currently 900+, and rising – many of you enjoyed my recent illustrated post about Asda’s Old Fold Road...
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