Author: Leigh Sparks
-
Follow me on Twitter
My TweetsPage Updates
January 2024 – Roll over of some areas for new year, plus The Economics Observatory piece on Christmas trading (see commentaries tab)
May 2023 – Two new articles and a book chapter noted on the Journal Articles page
Top Posts & Pages
- Grocery Market Shares in Great Britain (GB) 1997-2023
- Oxford Street, Hull and Beyond
- Personal News - Retirement
- UK Grocery Market Share 1997-2019
- The architectural heritage of Montague Burton’s Art Deco shops
- Co-operative Tokens, Sports Direct and The Bristol Pound
- London's Welsh Dairies: The Welsh Milk Trade
- Axe Stores (this is a description not an instruction)
- The Architecture of England's Co-operative Movement
- National Planning Framework 4 - the consultation
Writing About ...
Archives
-
Join 5,704 other subscribers
- Follow Stirlingretail on WordPress.com
Meta
Tag Archives: Woolworths
Handbags and Gladrags
My recent post about the development of the retail archive at the University of Stirling mentioned that there are various donations that are being processed, though this may take some time. The archive is built around the 40+ year history … Continue reading
Posted in Advertising, archives, Argos, Consumers, Historic Shops, Institute for Retail Studies, Paper Bags, Plastic Bags, Retail brands, Retail History, Retailers, University of Stirling, Woolworths
Tagged Advertising, Argos, Institute for Retail Studies, Paper Bags, Plastic bags, Retail Bags, Retail brands, Retail Emphemera, Retail History, Shopping, Shopping Bags, University of Stirling, Woolworths
Leave a comment
The Wonder of Woolies – 15 Years On
Early January 2024 marked 15 years from the collapse of Woolworths in the UK and the closure of its 807 mainly high street stores. There are several potential parents of the phrase ‘death of the high street’, spanning many decades, … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Consumer Change, Convenience stores, Discounters, Heritage, High Streets, History, Reinvention, Retail Change, Retail Failure, Retail History, Town Centre Living, Town Centres, Uncategorized, Urban History, Woolworths
Tagged Convenience, Discounters, Discounts, failure, High Streets, Reinvention, Retail, Retail Change, Streetscape, Town Centre Living, Woolworths
2 Comments
Halifax – with Elephants
When I was 10 months old my father ‘forsake the amateur code’ (copyright Welsh Rugby Union) and ‘went north’, joining the Halifax professional rugby league team. This was a life changing decision in many ways for his family; not least … Continue reading
Posted in Buildings, Burtons, Corporate History, Design, Ghost Signs, Halifax, Heritage, Historic Shops, Markets, Places, Public Realm, Regeneration, Retail History, Rugby League, Streetscapes, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Urban History
Tagged Buildings, Burtons, Culture, Elephants, Halifax, Heritage, Markets, Piece Hall, Rugby League, Town Centres, Woolworths
2 Comments
#Woolies10
I was out at the country on the tenth ‘anniversary’ of the closure of the last Woolworths store in the UK – 6th January to be exact. I had already contributed to an element of the ‘celebration’/‘remembrance’, so didn’t feel … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Churn, Closure, Consumers, Corporate History, Ghost Signs, Heritage, High Streets, Historic Shops, History, Pound Shops, Poundland, Retail Failure, Shopfronts, Store Closures, Streetscapes, Towns, Uncategorized, Urban History, Woolworths
Tagged Churn, closures, Employees, failure, Heritage, High Streets, History, Pound shops, Retail Change, Retail Nostalgia, South Africa, stores, Streetscape, Woolworths
1 Comment
Talking Shops at The Engine Shed
On a number of occasions this blog has covered aspects of the past and in particular ghostsigns and historic shops and shopfronts. Across Scotland (and beyond) there is an enduring fascination for, and concern with, our retail history. I was … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, BHS, Buildings, Falkirk, Ghost Signs, High Streets, Historic Shops, History, Retail History, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Shopfronts, Signage, Stirling, Streets, Streetscapes, Urban History, Woolworths
Tagged Architecture, BHS Mural Hull, Co-operatives, Conservation, Engine Shed, History, Murals, Retail History, Shopfronts, Shops, Stirling, Streets, Streetscapes, Woolworths
1 Comment
The Wonder of Woolies – continued
Just before Christmas I found myself in Brixton – as one does – and in wandering the streets passed by the H&M. As you might see from my photograph below, it is housed in a fine building. My immediate reaction … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Books, Buildings, High Streets, Historic Shops, Property, Public Realm, Retail History, Shopfronts, Streetscapes, Urban History, Woolworths
Tagged Architecture, Buildings, Design, History, Streets, Streetscapes, Woolworths
5 Comments
Woolies Five years On
They say time flies when you’re having fun; so it really should have dragged over the last few years through the deepest recession in living memory. But it really doesn’t seem like five years (FIVE YEARS) this week since Woolworth … Continue reading
Posted in Closure, Historic Shops, Pound Shops, Retail History, Woolworths
Tagged Closure, History, Nostalgia, Woolworths
7 Comments
Today: the High Street
Today, the Today programme on Radio 4 is running two opposing views of the high street and soliciting views about the state of, the memories of, and the future of Britain’s high street.These will feed into a series of reports … Continue reading
Posted in Consumer Change, High Streets, Internet shopping, Places, Retail Failure, Town Centres, Uncategorized
Tagged change, Consumers, High Streets, Internet, internet shopping, Woolworths
2 Comments
Stirlingretail 