Frank Winfield Woolworth by the 2000s traded as Woolworths Group. The final UK stores ceased trading January 6, 2009. The UK Woolworths brand was bought by Shop Direct Group in the UK who plan to run the store online only. Woolworth stores continue to operate in Germany. Although both the Australian company Woolworths Limited and the South African company Woolworths Holdings Limited took their names from Woolworth's US and UK stores, they have no connection to the F.W. Woolworth Company. Frank Winfield Woolworth Frank Winfield Woolworth (April 13, 1852 – April 8, 1919) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of F. W.
Big W (United Kingdom) In 1967, The F.W. Woolworth Company opened their first British Woolco store in Oadby, Leicestershire. The store was 63,000 sq.ft and offered many products like groceries, fashion and household products. Woolworth later opened 2 more stores in Thornaby, Stockton on Tees and Bournemouth, Hampshire. They were all successful and eventually Woolworth had a 12 store chain under the Woolco name. When the F.W. Woolworth Company spun off the British Woolworth chain into its own company in 1983, the Woolco stores were later converted to regular Woolworth stores, and then the company sold them off to Supermarket chain Gateway in 1986.