LONDON'S 10 LOST WOOLWORTHS STORES INCLUDING CROYDON BRANCH THAT LASTED TO THE VERY END
After falling into administration in 2008, high-street retailer Woolworths was forced to close its doors to the public once and for all. In a huge shock to the nation, its 800 stores closed from between December 2008 and January 2009.
The closure was partially fuelled by the 2008 financial crisis, but also due to a rise in online shopping. This led to the shop’s steady decline, which caught the nation by surprise.
But most people don’t know which branches lasted until the very end. MyLondon has compiled a list of the last-standing stores below.
READ MORE: North Londoners look back fondly at Enfield Woolworths that simply 'had everything'
West London:
Southall, The Broadway
It opened in 1929, and served the peripheral community for 80 years before morphing into a 'Himalaya Shopping Mall'.
West Ealing
The store on The Broadway opened in 1926 and shut its doors in 2008. It also moved from its original place - which is now a Greggs.
Hounslow High Street
Despite being erected in 2021, the building was brought to the ground during The Blitz. It was rebuilt and was at the centre of ‘Woolies’ postmodern vision. It would be the guinea pig for new ideas and styles.
At one point it was ahead of its time in 1991 with touch-screen ordering kiosks which are very popular today. Since its closure in 2008, the store has become an H&M and a next.
Uxbridge High Street
Opening in 1929 and closing in 2008, it served the West London community for just under 80 years. Since closing it has become a Poundland.
South London:
New Cross Road
It was another Woolworth’s store brought to its knees during The Blitz after being built in 1929. When Hitler’s men dropped the V2, the store was full of people doing their Christmas shopping, killing 168.
It took 15 years to rebuild and it’s now an Iceland.
North End, Croydon
It was the fourth store in the capital to open after welcoming its first customer in 1912 and closed in 2008. It expanded over the years until it extended into the Whitgift Shopping Centre that most residents will remember today.
East London:
Whitechapel High Street
It moved to 115 – 118 High Street, Whitechapel, E1 7PW, in the 1960s. It was in a great position too - right by Aldgate East Underground Station.
Unlike most other Woolworths’ on this list, it shutdown in the 1980s.
Roman Road, Bow
It’s now an Iceland, but don’t let that fool you - the architecture is still very much in Woolworth's style. It opened in 1928 and traded for 81 years before closing in 2009.
North London:
Chapel Market, Islington
Opening in 1929, the beautiful old neo-Georgian store was bulldozed in the 1990s to make way for a building that was sold to Waitrose in 2008.
Camden Town
The NW1 store opened in 1928 on the junction of Delancey Street and the High Street. It plodded on until the big closures in late 2008 and became a Sports Direct.
Tottenham High Road
It served the people of Tottenham from 1927 until 1986 before being converted into a Peacocks. Weirdly the tiles from the old Woolworths were torn off by the new owner except for down the side of the building where they can still be seen.
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