Woolworths (Cyprus) Woolworths (Cyprus) F. W. Woolworth & Co (Cyprus) Ltd was, until the end of 2003, the leading chain of upmarket department stores on the island of Cyprus with branches in all the major cities. The Cyprus company had its roots in the American parent F. W. Woolworth Company in the 1950s, which used its British arm to spread Woolworths stores throughout the British Empire. Initially there was only one Woolworths in Cyprus, in the capital city Nicosia, but in 1985 the company was sold to the local businessman Nicolas Shacolas (now OBE) who rapidly opened new stores in the island's
Ancient history of Cyprus of Cyprus (known as "Iatnanna" by the Assyrians) appears to have begun earlier than this, during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III (744–727 BC), and ended with the fall of the Neo Assyrian Empire in 609 BC, whereupon the city-kingdoms of Cyprus gained independence once more. Following a brief period of Egyptian domination in the sixth century BC, Cyprus fell under Persian rule. The Persians did not interfere in the internal affairs of Cyprus, leaving the city-kingdoms to continue striking their own coins and waging war amongst one another, until the late-fourth century BC saw the overthrow of the Persian Empire