Woolworth UK changed hands in 1982 after the US Parent sold its controlling interest to a consortium of British businessmen. The new owners set about revitalising the brand, making radical changes.

Stationery was identified as key improvement area. A new Commercial Director was hired from the House of Fraser. Mair Barnes criticised the outdated styling of the range, noting that that luminous orange, ctab and red packaging was 'very Seventies' and the conversion tables from yards to furlongs and chains were even more outdated.

She initiated a root and branch review, to find new products, improved packaging and to make the displays appeal to younger customers. The style makeover delivered spectacular results.

The new selection was designed with children and young families in mind. It had contemporary grey and yellow packaging. Dull manilla folders were replaced with lively designs of ring files, folders and pencil cases. For the first time many featured popular characters like Mickey Mouse. The idea of making school items more fun was a popular innovation that helped to build sales, particular at Back to School. The styling was co-ordinated with new ranges of Ladybird Clothing.

The design improvements helped to boost sales, particularly when the store environment was also upgraded, while the introduction of a new Kids Stationery range, including colouring books, art materials and a selection of crayons and markers from Crayola led neatly into the arts and crafts in the toy department.

The design enhancements also improved the appeal of Christmas gift products, particularly writing sets and packs of coloured pencils. Woolworths were soon hot on the heels of the market leader,
W.H. Smith, particularly at
back-to-school time.

The new approach moved the range up-market, with higher quality products at higher prices. While good value was maintained, the strategy opened the door for new discounters to undercut the company by introducing cheaper budget ranges during the 1990s.

By the early 1990s the parent company's CEO, Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy at Kingfisher, started to challenge the Directors about value for money, reminding them of Woolworths' heritage of low prices and encouraging the development of own-brand products to redress the balance and every day low pricing ('EDLP') across the store in place of frequent half price and three for two promotions. Woolies Buyers responded with a good (budget), better (standard) and best (luxury) strategy that offered keener entry prices. The CEO's challenge also spawned and a new range of own label 'Colourplay' kids stationery as an alternative to Crayola-branded products. Sales volumes grew, allowing the firm to offer cheaper prices to the public and to grow the cash margin generated by the kids stationery range.