Crowds strip Midlands branches of Woolworths bare
A quarter of Woolworths stores closed today as the end looms for the failed retailer.
Administrators Deloitte earmarked for closure around 200 of the chain’s 800-plus stores for closure at sites including many across the Midlands.
The stores shut their doors for the final time tonight in the first wave of closures which will see Woolworths cease trading on January 5 unless a last-minute buyer is found.
This is set to spell a miserable new year for 27,000 staff at the retail chain who face losing their jobs.
At Woolworths in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, the shelves were almost completely bare this afternoon.
A lone sweet was all that was left of the famed Pick N Mix and prices on remaining goods were slashed by 90%.
One customer who bought hair curling tongs for just 25 pence, said the high street would be poorer for the loss of the chain.
Kelly Rea, 26, said: “I can’t believe how quickly it has happened.
“Woolworths is one of those shops you expect to always be there - the high street won’t be the same now.
“I always used to come here for my sweets when I was younger. When I found out this one was closing for good today I thought I should get one last Pick N Mix but even that is gone.”
Staff declined to comment on the closure of the store.
Other Midlands Woolworths branches to close today include Chelmsley Wood, Coventry, Dudley,Kenilworth, Nuneaton, Solihull, Walsall and Wednesbury.
Woolworths has been a fixture on the high street for almost a century, but the company has been the highest profile casualty of the carnage among retailers as the UK slides into recession.
Other victims have included furniture retailer MFI and music and games chain Zavvi, which collapsed into administration on Christmas Eve.
Fellow strugglers Whittard of Chelsea and the Officers Club also called in administrators but were immediately sold in rescue deals.
Woolworths’ retail operation was already in trouble before the credit crunch tipped it into the abyss as lenders pulled the plug on the failing business.
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