List of UK Retail Store Closings in 2009 (Ongoing)

To be honest, it sounded like Woolies had a pretty unsustainable business model in that the chain made 90% of their annual profit in the 6 weeks leading up to Christmas; which suggests to me that they only needed one bad year to knock the wheels off the operation, and that this was all pretty inevitable. They also lacked a 'unique selling point'... what exactly was the Woolies brand all about? cheap tat you could probably get for cheaper elsewhere. The supposed 'irony' that Woolworths could have survived if they'd been as busy as they were in their twilight hour is a fallacy – as they would have had to be unsustainably cheap. Woolies was never a charity, and as a business – prior to news of their passing hitting the headlines – people seemed only peripherally aware of their existence.

But it's tough times for high street business in general. Pernicious rents coupled with stiff competition from the internet will doubtless claim more scalps before the long dark Winter of the British economy turns to Spring.

I'm upset about Whittard too - their Dream Tea is amazing!

Photo (c) mike langridge www.fotdmike.me.uk 2009

fotdmike has contributed a photo to this story.

I'm sad to see our local woolies go,i had to go one last time today.The outside did'nt really prepare me for the misery inside the shop,it looked so broken.I think Woolworths was a jack of many trades but a master of none.Eventually it crept up on them,the world of retail has changed forever.

melevans has contributed a photo to this story.

Woolworth's Surbiton in its final days. They were even selling off the cones that you put the pick n mix into!

geraintwn has contributed a photo to this story.

Funny photoshop of the Woolworth's logo

Er... and here's the link I meant to inlcude: http://www.dirtmind.com/top_stories/_20090106-woolworthless-final-woolworths-stores-shut-down-173.php

Er... and here's the link I meant to inlcude:
http://www.dirtmind.com/top_stories/_20090106-woolworthless-final-woolworths-stores-shut-down-173.php

Great description!

Woolworths in Fareham, 4 business days before it closed for good on 6th January 2008. The huge revolving doors to the centre of the entrance were not in use - possibly a cost cutting measure.

faaadeout has contributed a photo to this story.

such a shame an a sign of the state where in, probs the 1st big shop i ever went to spend my birthday money back when i was to young to travel into the city by myself, grew up with woolies on my doorstep an my local store was like a free for all on the last day of trade, the end of another era!

Woolworths, Dumfries, Scotland, 30 December 2008.

Overheard: "Eeh, I've never seen it so badly stocked. It's terrible. What are they playing at?"

SimonStuart has contributed a photo to this story.

My photos are in use here from the UK, here in my little town of Braintree in Essex Woolworths was one of our last remaining stores that sold toys and DVD,s

I had to take my Daughter whom is 10 and has Downs syndrome to show her that this year she could not spend her money in Woolworths I so wish i had a camera with me as she broke down and cried, why where is woolworths, its a sad end i feel the UK goverment should have stepped in and saved Woolworths 

The last few days of Woolworths in Seaton (Devon).

jimnkatie has contributed a photo to this story.

Bromley Kent Had a large Woolworths store and once the closing down sale was started it was busy with bargain hunters,now there is a gap in many of the high streets of towns up and down the country. Normally within a year or so people forget which store occupied a site once a new occupier has become established but people will talk about there old Woolworths for years to come

BRG2 has contributed a photo to this story.

This is Woolworths in Loughborough.
Originally the Woolies was in Leicester and that closed down a few years ago. That was sad enough.
Now to hear they are all closing is a big blow for me.
I'll miss this superb store as I shopped in there regularly.

kiranp has contributed a photo to this story.

We loved Woolworth here in the states. It was so fun to go in there.  Felt like family, and adventures throughout the store.  Sad.

Taken in Derby by Neil Hughes

Neil Hughes has contributed a photo to this story.

I am upset about Woolworths closing!  who next?  will the last one to leave England switch off the lights!

One Hundred Percent Off This has clearly been a brutal process for all the staff at the Woolworths' branches. Watching incompetent management drive a chain which was a vital part of the community into the ground was bad enough, but once the receivers were in, the process of selling off all the stock and shop-fittings at steeply dropping prices was a terrible time. On the last day they were handing out bags and asking shoppers to fill them for a fiver. This picture is from the day after - they backed skips up to the doors and dumped all that was left out in the streets. Kids were picking over the DVD's and taking a few, but most of the stock wasn't worth the effort of carrying it away.

Dick Penn has contributed a photo to this story.

This is Woolworths in Sutton, Surrey before Christmas 2008. This is the area where the music CDs used to be displayed. They had plenty of CDs - prices were not cheap enough then (only 10% off).

louisemarston has contributed a photo to this story.

thanks for the updates

After 99 years of trading Woolworths is closing it's doors. Last day at the Loughborough store was reduced to this shambolic state with shopping vultures picking the last meat off the bones of a once respected store.

I left without purchase and saddened.

stevenbrandist has contributed a photo to this story.

A cold morning in Redhill. Woolworths has been close a couple of days as a consequence of the credit crunch and recession. A busker plays outside the empty shop. No one is listening.

cooliceblue has contributed a photo to this story.

Jacquie Parry 2008

bensonchivers has contributed a photo to this story.

Pictured above, is the 'Woolworthless' store in Chelmsford England UK. After 89 years of trading, it finally closed its doors on January 4th 2009. Britain's (unelected) Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that, "Britain was best placed to weather the economic downturn."

Try telling that to the thousands of staff who are now facing their own 'economic downturn' head on. Sadly, Woolworth's is just one of many established brands that will pass into history in 2009.

Sadly, Woolies just could not compete against the likes of Poundland and Wilkinsons.

More images concerning the downturn at http://www.flickr.com/groups/stimulus2008/pool/

Andy Beez has contributed a photo to this story.

Hunstanton Norfolk .Last day of woolworths .Definately the end of an Era .Sadly ,the guy in the photo was more intetrested in what was in the woolies skip than what was in the store ....sj.

Pippi Takes A Trip... has contributed a photo to this story.

(Ignore this comment: I messed up!)

Woolworths, Epsom, Surrey.
No more pik-a-mix!
There are going to be a lot of gaps on the High Street!

danny mclaughlin has contributed a photo to this story.