Woolworths is dead, long live… any store we fancy

Published on Friday 27 November 2009 21:39

A YEAR ago we were in a state of national mourning over the closure of Woolworths. An icon of the high street had been forced to bring its shutters down as the first frosts of a fierce recession bit.

Many shared poignant childhood memories of shopping in Woolies. TV cameras lingered sadly over the Pic'n'Mix and newspaper columnists offered a Kleenex for all those who remembered Woolies so fondly but who now… well, never quite got round to going back there.

And then guess what? We happily strode off to Tesco and Asda. In these two stores alone we filled our shopping trolleys with almost 150 million of the goodies that Woolies once sold. New shops are born. Supermarkets expand. Old shops die. Nothing ever stays the same in the high street. But then nothing ever has. New products, new goods, new styles keep the retail carousel spinning and the public jumping on.

Critics will say that it is the very companies most responsible for driving the high-street favourite out of business that have gained the most from Woolworths' demise. In another world, it's called competition.

And here's a funny thing: there is no sign of armed guards forcing customers into Asda and Tesco at gunpoint. Or, indeed, forcing them into more than a dozen other rivals who have all gained since the closure. The wonder of Woolies is how quickly we have all adapted.