Woolworths (United Kingdom)

Woolworths was a British high-street variety retail chain and conglomerate. At its height, it operated as Woolworths Group PLC, which included other companies such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK, and book and resource distributor Bertram Books. In 2009, all UK stores shut down, and in 2015, so did the website, rendering it fully defunct.

The Woolworths chain was originally a division of the American F. W. Woolworth Company until its sale in 1982. It had more than 800 shops in the UK prior to closure. Woolworths sold many goods and had its own Ladybird children's clothing range, WorthIt! value range and Chad Valley toys. They were also well known for selling pick 'n' mix sweets. It was sometimes referred to as Woolies by the UK media, the general public, and occasionally in its own television adverts. The British company also owned and operated divisions in the Republic of Ireland which closed in 1984, and Cyprus which was sold in 1985.

On 26 November 2008, trading of shares in Woolworths Group was suspended, and its Woolworths and Entertainment UK subsidiaries entered administration. Deloitte closed all 807 Woolworths shops 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. The collapse of Woolworths was a symbol of the credit crunch and financial turmoil in the United Kingdom at the end of 2008.

In February 2009, Shop Direct Group (later known as The Very Group) purchased the Woolworths brand and website, which continued as an online-only business, until its closure in June 2015 when it was merged into Very.co.uk.

In July 2021, the former German division of the F.W. Woolworth Company, Woolworth GmbH, acquired the British and Irish Woolworths brand and website from The Very Group for an undisclosed sum.