Woolworths UK had 807 stores and 100 years — then debt and the 2008 crash wiped it out

Woolworths UK was founded in 1909 in Liverpool as the British division of the American F.W. Woolworth Company. It grew into one of Britain's most recognizable high-street names, operating 807 stores at its peak and selling everything from toys, music, and clothing to its famous 'pick 'n' mix' sweets. For decades it was a fixture of every British town centre. The company was demerged from its US parent in 1982 and listed on the London Stock Exchange, becoming Woolworths Group plc.

By the 2000s, Woolworths was being squeezed from all sides. Supermarkets expanded into its core product categories — music, toys, and confectionery — at lower prices. The shift to digital music destroyed its profitable CD and DVD business. The company posted a pre-tax loss of £99.7 million in the first half of 2008. With £385 million in debt, Woolworths tried to sell its retail arm to restructuring specialist Hilco for a nominal £1, but its banks — GMAC and Burdale — rejected the deal and recalled their loans.

Woolworths Group plc entered administration on 27 January 2009. Deloitte was appointed administrator and closed all 807 stores between 27 December 2008 and 6 January 2009. A closing-down sale offered discounts of up to 90%. All 27,000 employees lost their jobs — one of the largest single-day job losses in British retail history. The brand was sold to Shop Direct Group for an estimated £5-10 million and operated online until 2015. By August 2010, more than 300 former Woolworths stores remained empty, a lasting scar on British high streets.