superdad3
master brummie
KINGS HEATH WOOlWORTHS
When I came to Birmingham [after marriage] in the late 1960s we used to shop in Kings Heath and I used Woolworths a lot. It had a very good but not large DIY section which I used a lot. Their paint was cheap but very good. I also bought quite a few hand tools there. Later on we bought a lot of childrens clothes from them and many garden plants. It was a really good shop - cheap but good quality and an incredible range of stock. Stationery and some books as well I remember.
Sadly as time went on, the sections we used dwindled and records/CDs and similar took over and a large pick& mix diy sweet selection. I guess it was a sign of the times and due to increased competition from changing stores on the High Street. It finally closed in 2008.
Thinking about Woolworths was set off by talking about it to my wife and checking what there was on the Forum. Very useful information under KINGS HEATH INSTITUTE which set me of checking online. There is an amazing amout of information available and perhaps some notes/pics may be of interest.
The Kings Heath store opened in in 1934 in the old Kings Heath Institute. In the late 1960s Woolworths purchased the shops next door and started building a new superstore – you can see it being built on the right of the existing store in this phot. This was extended to the corner of Institute Road after demolition of the old Institute building
The new Superstore was officially opened on 15 October 1970 but closed in 2008 wth the collapse of Woolworths. Sadly missed.
1970 2008
After closure, Poundland took over the corner site, with Clarks Shoes next door and New Look.
There lots of web sites about Woolies but two of the best which I have used heavily are:
https://wooliesbuildings.wordpress.com/2020/06/25/kings-heath-woolworths-store-554/ [good for checking your local Woolies out] and
When I came to Birmingham [after marriage] in the late 1960s we used to shop in Kings Heath and I used Woolworths a lot. It had a very good but not large DIY section which I used a lot. Their paint was cheap but very good. I also bought quite a few hand tools there. Later on we bought a lot of childrens clothes from them and many garden plants. It was a really good shop - cheap but good quality and an incredible range of stock. Stationery and some books as well I remember.
Sadly as time went on, the sections we used dwindled and records/CDs and similar took over and a large pick& mix diy sweet selection. I guess it was a sign of the times and due to increased competition from changing stores on the High Street. It finally closed in 2008.
Thinking about Woolworths was set off by talking about it to my wife and checking what there was on the Forum. Very useful information under KINGS HEATH INSTITUTE which set me of checking online. There is an amazing amout of information available and perhaps some notes/pics may be of interest.
The Kings Heath store opened in in 1934 in the old Kings Heath Institute. In the late 1960s Woolworths purchased the shops next door and started building a new superstore – you can see it being built on the right of the existing store in this phot. This was extended to the corner of Institute Road after demolition of the old Institute building
The new Superstore was officially opened on 15 October 1970 but closed in 2008 wth the collapse of Woolworths. Sadly missed.
1970 2008
After closure, Poundland took over the corner site, with Clarks Shoes next door and New Look.
There lots of web sites about Woolies but two of the best which I have used heavily are:
https://wooliesbuildings.wordpress.com/2020/06/25/kings-heath-woolworths-store-554/ [good for checking your local Woolies out] and
A brief history of Woolworths
A short history of F.W. Woolworth, the original five-and-ten retailer which had 5,000 stores in North America, the UK and Ireland and still trades in Germany.
www.woolworthsmuseum.co.uk