Woolworths virtual Museum

[Richard1978]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

The one in Stockport is now split into a Costa, River Island and Dreichman.

[George 1978]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

My local Woolworths building was sadly demolished last week to make way for a new hotel. Felt a bit sad about that as I loved Woolworths and my mum used to work in one for years. The sign was still on the back of the building years after the shop had closed down. Whoever has taken that sign is going to get a fortune for it in years to come.

There was a website just a few years ago that mentioned what happened to former Woolworths branches - most of them became pound shops just like the Nottingham Victoria Centre one, and even that has gone as there is a Costa Coffee shop there now. Controversially, the Clifton one in Nottingham was to become an amusement arcade, much to the anger of local residents who strongly opposed the plans exchanged letters in the Nottingham Post, saying that it would encourage underage gambling.

It was fascinating to see all the different stores listed on that page that was to replace Woolworths - quite a few Tesco Expresses (allowing Tesco to get even more of the market share) benefited from all this, Iceland, WHSmith, Boots all got mentioned. Quite a few "empty" - one in the West Midlands became a council library. Quite a few became a lot of "local area only" and "one branch wonder" stores. It hasn't been updated for a few years if it is still around.

There was a former Woolworths mentioned on that page which was to be demolished to make way for housing although that was in Plymouth I believe - did we have all of this controversy when Rumbelows closed down in the mid 1990s I wonder?

[marc]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

I've looked at the Woolworths museum site numerous times. There was some top quality items over the years. I well remember the Christmas decorations being sold. The pick'n'mix sweet section was also memorable. They seemed to sell the best Turkish Delight around. There were three Woolworths in a four mile radius from where I lived....all gone now.

[akb48fan]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

My local Woolworths building was sadly demolished last week to make way for a new hotel. Felt a bit sad about that as I loved Woolworths and my mum used to work in one for years. The sign was still on the back of the building years after the shop had closed down. Whoever has taken that sign is going to get a fortune for it in years to come.

[sixtyten]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

[George 1978]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

Adverts from same mag dated Feb 1988

Thank you for that.

[sixtyten]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

Adverts from same mag dated Feb 1988

[George 1978]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

Woolworths are missed - especially at this time of year when you could get Easter Eggs of any chocolate or sweet.

Is it any coincidence that both those advertisements above feature elephants? I assume that they were from around 1990-ish?

[onthebusesfan]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

I Miss Woolworths Best Shop Ever, you could get everything in there.

[sixtyten]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

[JQW]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

An interesting fact that not many know was that years ago before the offical top fourty charts woolies used to sell singles that replicted top hits but performed by no name artists.I have 5 mp3s that i managed to grab off the offical woolworths site(in a history section?) a while before woolworths went bust.I know that i can't stick them on this site.But i suppose i could stick them on a hosting site if the mods allowed a link to be posted?They were free to download off the offical woolworths site at the time.The 5 mp3s add up to about 9mb.

The label was Embassy Records. They were run by Oriole Records, a small independent label who had their own pressing plant. The singles would have a cover version on each side, often by different performers, and sold for about half the price of a regular hit. Many of the artists performing these covers were session singers who also had careers on BBC radio, albeit usually under a pseudonym. Ken Barrie, who later recorded the Postman Pat theme, was one

As Embassy had to predict that week's hits, very little time was set aside for recording, so these singles were generally rushed affairs. Even so these recordings did get licensed to other labels overseas, and some probably even appeared in the US on cash-in albums issued during the British Invasion of 1964.

The tracks found on the now defunct Woolworths site included some of their Beatles covers, credited to The Typhoons. This group didn't exist in the real world - it was just a collective name for whatever session musicians were to hand at the time.

The label lasted until early 1965, when Oriole got bought out by CBS, and the pressing plant switch to pressing CBS's own releases. The later covers albums featuring the likes of Elton John were for releases on labels such as Hallmark, Warwick and MfP.

It's unlikely that any of the master tapes for these recordings still exist. Oriole used to wipe the tapes for their own genuine releases after a couple of years, so these covers may have had an even shorter life.

[memoman]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

Upload & Share Files - Flyupload

A selection of 5 of the woolies "chart specials" that i mentioned earlier.These were avaliable free of charge on the woolworths site in the history section prior to them going bust.I hold no claim to them.i have cleared this link with a mod.

[memoman]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

Music can't be hosted on the site, links to external sites are ok as long as you don't promote pirarcy etc.

The mp3s in question were free for anyone to download off the offical woolworths site.No charge no conditions.But it is not something i am going to bother with now anyway.I don't wish to get this site into trouble.

[HG]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

An interesting fact that not many know was that years ago before the offical top fourty charts woolies used to sell singles that replicted top hits but performed by no name artists.I have 5 mp3s that i managed to grab off the offical woolworths site(in a history section?) a while before woolworths went bust.I know that i can't stick them on this site.But i suppose i could stick them on a hosting site if the mods allowed a link to be posted?They were free to download off the offical woolworths site at the time.The 5 mp3s add up to about 9mb.

Music can't be hosted on the site, links to external sites are ok as long as you don't promote pirarcy etc.

[memoman]

Re: Woolworths virtual Museum

I know it is Hugs, but it's not the same as walking around the store with all it's Xmas decs, music and stuff. It always really put me in the mood.

Although it trades under the same name has ladybird clothing? and picknmix.it is a totally different company who just used those ideas to float a new company.Sorry but woolworths as it was is long gone.a very well thought out tactic as woolworths is a very well placed brandname among consumers.