Half of people in Britain want Woolworths to return to the high street, a poll has suggested. When asked which defunct retailer they would most like to make a comeback, 49 per cent of people surveyed by YouGov said Woolies.
Woolworths sold a wide range of products from homewares, toys and clothing to books and music, while also being famous for its pick and mix confectionery stand. However, it was a major casualty of the financial crisis in the late 2000s.
Its stores were closed in phases from December 2008 to January 2009 after the chain fell into administration. But the poll results indicate that shoppers have affectionate memories of its heyday when Woolies branches were a fixture of town and city centres.
The survey found that Woolworths was the most requested resurrection across the generations, with those aged 50-64 the most likely to want to see it back, at 60%. A third of 18-24 year olds – who will have been between four and 10 years old when the chain closed in 2009 – wanted to see the store open again.
Debenhams, which closed its shops last year, came a distant second, with 13% saying they would like the department stores to make a return. BHS, which shut in 2016, was favoured by 10%.
Rival chain BHS, which closed its stores in 2016, is also a top candidate for resurrection, with 10% wanting to see its return. Clothing retailer C&A came in fourth at 7% - 21 years after it exited the British market in 2001.
Other lost high street names picked up just a few percentage points. These included Toys R Us, Blockbuster, Comet, Littlewoods and Maplin.
One in four Britons - 23% - said they didn't have any high street chains they’d like to revive. And 1% wanted House of Fraser to come back - even though it is still operating with 33 branches in the UK and another five converted to the Frasers format.
YouGov polled 1,717 adults in the UK. The research was carried out on August 8 and 9.
