Frank Winfield Woolworth Frank Winfield Woolworth Frank Winfield Woolworth (April 13, 1852 – April 8, 1919) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of F. W. Woolworth Company and the operator of variety stores known as "Five-and-Dimes" (5- and 10-cent stores) or dimestores, which featured a low-priced selection of merchandise. He pioneered the now-common practices of buying merchandise directly from manufacturers and fixing the selling prices on items, rather than haggling. He was also the first to use self-service display cases, so customers could examine what they wanted to buy without the help of a sales clerk. Frank Woolworth was born in Rodman,
F. W. Woolworth Company in the U.S. and changed its corporate name to Venator. In 1999, Venator moved out of the Woolworth Building in New York City to offices on 34th Street. On October 20, 2001, the company changed names again; this time, it took the name of its top retail performer and became Foot Locker, Inc., which Woolworth started in 1974. All corporate history of Woolworth is included in the history of Foot Locker, Inc., resulting in the company in 2012 observing the F. W. Woolworth Company's centennial of joining the New York Stock Exchange. The 2012 annual report cover used a 1912