OMG woolworths is going :(

[lynda66]

i never had that problem with woolies, but then wilkies, and argos are within spitting distance, and when i need something that all 3 sell, i'll go to them all then pick the one i want at the best price ...... i'm terrible to go shopping with, cos more often than not i'll go to 10 shops ........ then end up going back to the first one cos it's 50p cheaper lol

[piskieinboots]

.... these are difficult times for everyone and this just shows that history is not going to save anyone.

indeed, 'you' are only as good as your last report/presentation/money saving idea/goal

[Two_Sheds]

Oh, I feel guilty now!
Was it all that pick-n-mix that I used to pilfer as a teenager, that sent Woolies to the wall?

--------

now where am I going to get all my half price seeds from? Ah, Lidl.
Actually, I can't remember the last time I bought something in Woolies ... they always had a Q and only one member of staff on the till

[HeyWayne]

Woolworths unfortunately is a classic case of jack of all trades, master of none. No company will survive being predminantly known for pick'n'mix. The supermarkets moved in, and Woolies failed to counter move - was only a matter of time.

MFI is a similar story - IKEA comes along and does things, quicker, better and cheaper. MFI "re-branded" a few times but good marketing is more than that, and I don't think they had a good marketing team.

I still feel for anyone affected by the news - especially in these times.

[Alison]

Regardless of how badly these companies have moved with the times (which enables some blame to be placed with their management structures), this isn't the fault of the workers and I feel great sympathy for them. Most of them will have been doing a perfectly good job on not that great a wage and to lose that money just before Christmas is not good. A few of my friends and family have their jobs on the line and don't know what they'll do without the money (and these aren't people who have been irresponsible and borrowed to the hilt, just normal families with mortgates and / or kids) including my neice's boyfriend who works for Honda in Swindon (they've just bought a house together) and there have been contract staff finished where I work. I work in the water industry where the work is in 5 year cycles and it's always quiet at this point, before picking up as we move into the next period but this time is worse due to the back drop of the economic climate, not so easy to pick up something to see you through. As one of my colleagues said the other day, everything is going to be in grey again.....

[jackie j]

Our woolies went years ago and the nearest big store is in Exeter about 40 min drive. We always pop into woolies when we are in any town that has one but we dont always buy anything. I do buy their worthit slow release plant food 1kg for £1. 97p so will have to try and get some of it and stock up.

[SarzWix]

I adore Woolies, and I'm gutted that they might be going to disappear In our town (Skipton), it is the only shop in town which sells toys, DVDs, music, kids clothes, stationary etc, at half reasonable prices - the proper Toy Shop closed down last year (& was tooo expensive before then anyway), and our Tescos and Morrisons are too small to have the ranges most people are used to. Even for Wii games etc, there's only really one shop in competition with them!
I'd like to see someone like Wal-Mart take them over - after all, they are pretty much Asda without the food!!

[SlugLobber]

I often pop in when I'm in town and browse their home section. A lot of my kitchen utensils were from Woollies, as is some of my bedding. Sad to see them go - not as sad as when C & A went bust, though!

[BrideXIII]

yep , thats what i am going to miss most, i get all my kitchen stuff from woolies, and gardening stuff too, there IS nowhere else in our town.

we have just been in there today, everything is coming down in price yet again, just picked up a black granite mortar and pestle for £3, pity i am so broke, there are bargains galore, but you feel like a bit of a vulture, picking over the bones, while the staff don't even know whats going to happen to them yet.

[Alison]

I'd like to see someone like Wal-Mart take them over - after all, they are pretty much Asda without the food!!

Sounds like an idea from hell to me but then again I despise the big corporations like Wall-Mart and the way that they bully suppliers and staff around the world. Anything to keep the jobs would be an obvious bonus but I wish we didn't have to go this route.

[BrideXIII]

Sounds like an idea from hell to me but then again I despise the big corporations like Wall-Mart and the way that they bully suppliers and staff around the world. Anything to keep the jobs would be an obvious bonus but I wish we didn't have to go this route.

whilst I agree, what is the alternative?

tescos will take up the slack round here, and we will be left with no choice of shop at all, personally for me it will mean more internet shopping, i prefer to have a choice.

[SarzWix]

Sounds like an idea from hell to me but then again I despise the big corporations like Wall-Mart and the way that they bully suppliers and staff around the world. Anything to keep the jobs would be an obvious bonus but I wish we didn't have to go this route.

I know what you mean, but they do have the money behind them, and I don't think anything less will save Woolies now

[Alison]

whilst I agree, what is the alternative?

tescos will take up the slack round here, and we will be left with no choice of shop at all, personally for me it will mean more internet shopping, i prefer to have a choice.

I know what you mean, but they do have the money behind them, and I don't think anything less will save Woolies now

Still makes me sad though

[BrideXIII]

I know what you mean, but they do have the money behind them, and I don't think anything less will save Woolies now

trouble there is walmart is american based, they have their hands full with their own worst recession in years, not a time to be considering a move into the UK i would have thought?

Early on November 19, 2008, The Times first reported that the Woolworths' retail business was a target for restructuring specialist Hilco, who would by the retail arm for a nominal £1,[30] this was later confirmed later the same day.[31][32] This deal would have left Woolworths Group with its profitable distribution and publishing businesses and a reduced debt load. However the deal was blocked by the group's bankers, leading to the group being placed into administration when no agreement could be reached.[33]

On 26 November 2008, the trading of shares in "Woolworths Group plc" was suspended and the Woolworths plc and Entertainment UK Ltd subsidiaries entered into administration.[6]The administrators announced that they aim to keep the company as a going concern over the crucial Christmas period, however analysts fear that any heavy discounting would create a domino effect and drag down other high street retailers.

Sovereign wealth funds in the Far East are expressing some interest in the acquisition of Woolworths, [34] and two potential SWF bidders have undertaken investigations into a possible acquisition. The acquisition would ensure a dedicated distribution channel for the manufacturing industries in the Far East.[35]

from wikipedia.

a far east company would make sense in this case, half the stuff woolies sell is already made there.

[phil the shed]

WELL you can imagine how my wife feels having been a woolies employee "on not good money" for the last five years. but it was regular money and the shifts helped in our work patterns for childcare so it is doubly bad for us. what is difficult to grasp is that they have been told they will be paid friday which was normal but even though they are staying open under the administrators they don't know if they will be paid the next time. STRANGE!!!!
at least we bought a chunk of our xmas pressies on staff discount days something cheery huh!!