Welcome to the Original Virtual Museum - celebrating Woolworths' century at the heart of British High Street Shopping
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please click a menu button Original Virtual Museum Home Page please click a menu button The Woolworth value store concept is born in the USA please click a menu button Laying the foundations as the first British Woolworth store opens in Liverpool in November 1909 please click a menu button Woolworths rapidly open forty-four stores in Britain and Ireland before facing a World War please click a menu button Bigger, brighter and bolder Woolworth stores in the Roaring Twenties please click a menu button Woolworths go to amazing lengths to keep all prices under sixpence in the Thirties please click a menu button Bravery and defiance during World War II in Woolworths' finest hour. We pay tribute to the sacrifices made and look behind the scenes please click a menu button Redefining the Woolworth brand for modern times in the 1950s, as prices go up and stores get bigger and bigger please click a menu button Superstores in and out of town, a new own brand and the opening of overseas Commonwealth stores during the 1960s please click a menu button Woolworth struggles to keep up during the rapid inflation and change of the 1970s please click a menu button Woolworth stores in more recent times, covering the period 1980-2008 please click a menu button
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Background to the Original Virtual Museum and copyright information about the contents Origins of the firm's legendary pic'n'mix and a century of chocolate, candy and confectionery in the High Street A century of music and entertainment in the High Street from sheet music and gramophone records to CDs and blu-ray discs A century of toys, games and fun in the High Street stores of F. W. Woolworth A century of fashion in the High Street, from paper patterns and sixpenny knickers to an extensive range of award-winning Ladybird clothing A century of cards, pens, pads and books from the shelves of F. W. Woolworth stores Pots and pans, paint and brushes, bulbs and compost and even toiletries - all in High Street Woolworth stores for much of the twentieth century Woolworths pioneered Christmas decorations in the 19th century and supplied presents for our parents, grandparents and great grandparents from their High Street stores Working conditions and pay rates at Woolworths over a hundred years and some of the people behind the brand-name Our cinema, quiz and picture gallery features Visit the new look 21st century Woolworths on line, on the site operated by Shop Direct Group
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Copyright information - publication, media and commercial use

Five views of Woolies in Woodcote Road, Wallington stretching from 1934 to 2007. After 74 years of profitable trading, today it's an Iceland frozen food store.

The Woolworths store team were proud of their heritage, bringing good quality products to five generations of Britons at value-for-money prices. The founder, Frank Winfield Woolworth, pioneered a retail revolution as the first shopkeeper to see the potential of factory mass-production and the first to make everyone rich and poor welcome in his stores. It was a tradition that went on to sustain 815 shops into a 100th year of trading at the heart of the High Street, and provided employment for more than a million people over the same period.

At the Original Virtual Museum we have an extensive archive of pictures, film and gramophone records showing every aspect of trading over much of that time, including shoppers, staff, products, displays, High Streets, shopfronts and advertising. Customers and colleagues, products and press advertising, shop fronts and salesfloors. Many are original plates and available in full print or broadcast resolution. We also have a collection of products, including sheet music, records and videos, china and glass, toys and games. A few of these are illustrated in our Virtual Museum. We will be pleased to partner with organisations wanting to celebrate Woolworths' hundred years of value in the High Street or deliver a touch of extra authenticity for productions in the theatre, film or television.

 

Example press stories developed in collaboration with national and local newspapers. (Courtesy Express Newspapers Ltd and The Croyon Advertiser)

 

Over the years the Author has worked with leading Broadcasters and Journalists from, among others, BBC television and radio, ITN, the National Theatre and local and national newspapers and magazines as well as US Broadcasters in support of their storylines and to assist with research.

Some of the pictures in our Virtual Museum are protected by third-party copyrights or acknowledgements, with the remainder copyright to the Virtual Museum. We can advise you about this if you contact us. Please note that No picture on this website is released for publication, broadcast or commercial use without our express, written agreement.

We will be pleased to discuss your requirements and to confirm that these are consistent with our policies, and may be able to offer practical help and assistance in developing storylines relating to the museum content. Please drop us a line with your daytime and evening contact information and an outline of your enquiry and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

 

 

The 5Ws that Woolworths used as logos in-store between 1879 and 2008

 

The Virtual Museum layout, design and content is © Copyright 3D and 6D Pictures Ltd 2002-2010, all rights reserved.

Quick links to other exhibits in the 'about this website' gallery

Woolworths history overview   The Woolworths timeline   Woolworths bibliography

Background to the website   How the site was built   Introducing the author   Legal information

Contributors and credits   Copyright information for commercial use   Copyright information for students and private use

Tell us how we did   Getting in touch with the author   Register for updates or just as a friend

 
Fully illustrated 194 page history of Woolworths, or a selection of professionally authored DVDs in our on-line shop