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The Daily Insight

What caused the demise of Woolworths?

Author

John Thompson

Published Mar 16, 2026

But Woolworths faced spiralling losses as online retail grew and the firm faced difficulties with its suppliers, according to This Is Money. It was laden with £385million of debt at the time of its collapse, which left more than 27,000 unemployed.

What happened to the Woolies?

Deloitte closed all 807 Woolworths stores between 27 December 2008 and 6 January 2009, resulting in 27,000 job losses. Woolworths Group plc entered administration on 27 January 2009, and it was officially dissolved on 13 October 2015.

When did Woolworth close down?

Woolworth closed its remaining variety stores in the United States in 1997, thus abandoning its traditional general-merchandise retail business there. After renaming itself Venator Group, Inc., in 1998, the company operated retail stores in North America, Europe, and Australia into the early 21st century.

Who owns Woolworths UK?

Shop Direct Group
Woolworths.co.uk

Woolworths.co.uk logo from 2009–2015
TypeOnline brand of Shop Direct
Key peopleSir David and Sir Frederick Barclay (Owners) Mark Newton-Jones (Chief Executive)
ProductsGeneral merchandise
OwnerShop Direct Group

Is Woolworths American owned?

Woolworths (colloquially “Woolies”) is an Australian chain of supermarkets and grocery stores owned by Woolworths Group. Founded in 1924, Woolworths today is Australia’s biggest supermarket chain with a market share of 33% as of 2019.

Is Aldi Australian owned?

The German chain Aldi opened its first Australian store in Sydney in 2001 and by 2004 had 54 stores across the eastern states. Since 1960 there have been two separate companies, now named Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud, each one having initially been controlled by one of the Albrecht brothers.

What is Woolworths CSR?

Concentrate its sponsorship and initiatives in the Woolworths group of companies, due to our unique role within it. Be respectful of the environment and actively manage its environmental impact. Aim to increase awareness of environmental issues and provide assistance for Members to act sustainable.

Why is Aldi meat so cheap?

Aldi keeps meat prices low by banking on itself Their efficiency means everybody in the store is trained to do everything, from stocking shelves to checking out, which leads to less staff in store overall. Less staff means less money spent on wages, which also affects their product prices.

When did Woolworths close down?

2008
The original Woolworths once had a branch on town and city centre high streets the length and breadth of the UK. The brand, known for selling clothes, sweets, CDs, DVDs and more, fell into administration in 2008, closing every one of its UK stores by 2009.

Why did Comet go out of business?

Comet, which was once the UK’s second largest electrical retailer with 240 stores, collapsed into administration in 2012 after being hit hard by the recession.

Did Woolworths become Foot Locker?

On October 20, 2001, the company changed names again; taking the name of its top retail performer and became Foot Locker, Inc., which Woolworth started in 1974. The corporate history of Woolworth is legally included in the history of Foot Locker, Inc., which is the legal continuation of Woolworth.

Did Woolworths become very?

The online store opened on 25 June 2009, but it closed in June 2015, after six years, to be replaced by Shop Direct’s existing brand Very….Woolworths.co.uk.

Woolworths.co.uk logo from 2009–2015
TypeOnline brand of Shop Direct
FateReplaced by Very.co.uk
SuccessorVery (online retailer)
HeadquartersLiverpool, England , United Kingdom

What was the result of Woolworths collapse 10 years ago?

A staple in UK shopping centres and high streets, Woolworths was a destination for everything and everyone. But 10 years ago it collapsed, leaving the market shocked. Today, with more retail names failing, could lessons have been learned from Woolworths’ demise?

When did Woolworths close stores in the UK?

It could be argued that the first ominous signs of things to come for the chain started in October 1984, when the Woolworths stores in the Republic of Ireland were closed. Just a year before Woolworths collapsed in the UK, property firm Savills was drafted in to try and find 6000sq ft units in small towns.

When did the Woolworths chain go into administration?

It is a high street store that holds a special place in the hearts of many shoppers. And it has now been 10 year since Woolworths went into administration in 2008 after racking up debts of hundreds of millions of pounds. There were 800 stores employing some 27,000 across the UK with 19 shops in Northern Ireland.

Why was the year 1969 the worst year for Woolworths?

The results of the company were the worst in the year 1969, because it failed to chalk out suitable strategies necessary to take on its competitors in the market. Sales at Woolworth began to decline.