Woolworth's: 100 Years on the High Street

Still reading the book, very informative and interesting

Just as ordered. A great read

Most of us were taken by surprise when Woolworths closed its doors for the last time, just six months short of its centenary. It was one of a group of shops that had dominated the high street and its loss seemed unthinkable. It was surely just a matter of time until this phenomenon was celebrated in book form, and that moment has come in this excellent work. Initially an American company, the first UK shop was opened in 1909. The company leased and adapted prime sites in busy shopping centres, allowing the chain to grow speedily because of the minimal outlay. They began using local architects and in time employed their own, many of whose drawings feature in the book. The First World War did not slow the company’s progress, as local authorities often approached the company inviting them to their town, because of the bonus of jobs the company bought with them. Consequently, the company encountered few planning restrictions. The company fared less well in the second world war, 26 stores were completely destroyed whilst another 326 were damaged. The greatest loss of life was when a store in south London was hit by a rocket at lunchtime on 25 November 1944. The bomb’s silent arrival gave people no time to seek shelter and 160 people were killed. Various theories are examined as to the company’s demise, for example the loans taken out for the repairs and expansion after the war left the company in significant debt. Others suggested that the company sought to promote men, and it usually was men, to senior posts in developing the business and critics argue that this meant it was mostly people coming to the end of their working life and so they were less receptive to new ideas and initiatives. The development of such a large business contributes considerably to our understanding of the development of the British high street, and this is celebrated in this book. Lavishly illustrated and written in a way that will appeal to both general and specialist readers, this work is a gem. Following its closure some of its fixtures and fittings were acquired by the Museum of London who have created an old-style store in miniature. At least there are some physical remains of what had seemed by many to be an invincible retail empire.

Brought back some treasured memories