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Remember the big Woolworths in Broadmead, Bristol? It had an enormous ground floor. There was no proper upstairs, rather it had a balcony at the back (Fairfax Street end), and which extended around both sides of the building, but neither side reached the very front (Broadmead end).
I remember seeing a report on Points West in October 1982 about it: Woolworths in Broadmead Bristol had just closed down, and reopened as 21st Century Shopping. Quite a few changes were made going from Woolworths to 21st Century Shopping: most obviously the name was changed at the entrances to the building, also internally the building was completely refitted. I think the new look store stocked fewer lines than Woolworths, but more of the lines that were now available.
In half term week October 1982, I went with my family for a day shopping to Broadmead Bristol, and we saw inside 21st Century Shopping. I was surprised how much it had been changed from Woolworths, totally different store layout.
Sadly it was an overnight disaster. Come spring 1983, there was another report on Points West saying it was going to be converted back to the original Woolies format. So the name Woolworths returned to the building entrances, but that was about it really. They didn't restore the internal decoration to as it was before the conversion to 21st Century Shopping. The next time I was there with my family was half term October 1983, and they were still using 21st Century Shopping price tags and carrier bags, even though the place was then officially called Woolworths again. Well, I suppose they had to use up the old stock of bags.
I think this was the only Woolworths store that was given this treatment. Circa September 1982 I remember hearing a rumour about Woolworths closing down all over the country, something I just couldn't believe at the time (as a kid). According to Wikipedia, in 1982 the British Woolworths was acquired by Paternoster Stores Ltd, the forerunner of Kingfisher plc. Not sure when in 1982 that's referring to, perhaps they mean circa September/October 1982. All I do remember one morning thwhen getting ready for school was hearing on the radio September/October 1982 something about Paternoster taking over Woolworths ... and thus wondering if all Woolworths stores would be renamed Paternoster stores.
Thinking about it since then, my hypothetical guess Paternoster Stores Ltd decided to try out a new store format as an experiment at one of the larger UK Woolworths stores, so they happened to pick the Bristol Broadmead one at which to try out the "experimental?" 21st Century Shopping format.
Does anyone else from the Bristol area or beyond remember the Woolworths store in Broadmead, Bristol being "21st Century Shopping"? I've searched the Internet for it, and can't find many references to it, or photos of the building branded 21st Century Shopping. Has everyone forgotten about it - partly due to that reign being so short?
After getting the Woolworths name back late spring 1983, the Bristol Broadmead Woolworths store had a refit spring 1984. Sadly it didn't last much longer after that. Circa 1988, it closed for good, and was knocked down along with the ugly white elephant Fairfax House (former Co-op), and loads of other shops in Fairfax Street and some in Merchant Street (south), to make way for The Galleries Shopping Centre (now called The Mall Bristol) which opened in 1992, and which I first visited January 1995. Woolworths then became a shadow of its former self, a little corner unit on the ground floor of The Galleries, lacking a restaurant.
I remember seeing a report on Points West in October 1982 about it: Woolworths in Broadmead Bristol had just closed down, and reopened as 21st Century Shopping. Quite a few changes were made going from Woolworths to 21st Century Shopping: most obviously the name was changed at the entrances to the building, also internally the building was completely refitted. I think the new look store stocked fewer lines than Woolworths, but more of the lines that were now available.
In half term week October 1982, I went with my family for a day shopping to Broadmead Bristol, and we saw inside 21st Century Shopping. I was surprised how much it had been changed from Woolworths, totally different store layout.
Sadly it was an overnight disaster. Come spring 1983, there was another report on Points West saying it was going to be converted back to the original Woolies format. So the name Woolworths returned to the building entrances, but that was about it really. They didn't restore the internal decoration to as it was before the conversion to 21st Century Shopping. The next time I was there with my family was half term October 1983, and they were still using 21st Century Shopping price tags and carrier bags, even though the place was then officially called Woolworths again. Well, I suppose they had to use up the old stock of bags.
I think this was the only Woolworths store that was given this treatment. Circa September 1982 I remember hearing a rumour about Woolworths closing down all over the country, something I just couldn't believe at the time (as a kid). According to Wikipedia, in 1982 the British Woolworths was acquired by Paternoster Stores Ltd, the forerunner of Kingfisher plc. Not sure when in 1982 that's referring to, perhaps they mean circa September/October 1982. All I do remember one morning thwhen getting ready for school was hearing on the radio September/October 1982 something about Paternoster taking over Woolworths ... and thus wondering if all Woolworths stores would be renamed Paternoster stores.
Thinking about it since then, my hypothetical guess Paternoster Stores Ltd decided to try out a new store format as an experiment at one of the larger UK Woolworths stores, so they happened to pick the Bristol Broadmead one at which to try out the "experimental?" 21st Century Shopping format.
Does anyone else from the Bristol area or beyond remember the Woolworths store in Broadmead, Bristol being "21st Century Shopping"? I've searched the Internet for it, and can't find many references to it, or photos of the building branded 21st Century Shopping. Has everyone forgotten about it - partly due to that reign being so short?
After getting the Woolworths name back late spring 1983, the Bristol Broadmead Woolworths store had a refit spring 1984. Sadly it didn't last much longer after that. Circa 1988, it closed for good, and was knocked down along with the ugly white elephant Fairfax House (former Co-op), and loads of other shops in Fairfax Street and some in Merchant Street (south), to make way for The Galleries Shopping Centre (now called The Mall Bristol) which opened in 1992, and which I first visited January 1995. Woolworths then became a shadow of its former self, a little corner unit on the ground floor of The Galleries, lacking a restaurant.
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