Alworths
Encyclopedia
Alworths was a chain of British
high-street retail stores created out of the remains of some of the former stores of Woolworths Plc. When the company fell into administration 15 branches were acquired by Poundstretcher
.
store, over the following 12 months 18 other store opened.
On 1 March 2011, Andy Latham resigned as a director of the board. Andy Latham set up a new company called 'Retail Acquisitions Ltd, with the same registered office as Alworths', prompting speculation that a pre-pack administration was being contemplated.
On Monday 28 March 2011 the company was placed into administration, with many stores no longer selling music, games or even pick n mix. Policy of no returns has also come in to effect. By 25 April at least five store had closed, the company no longer have any shops in Scotland.
On 5 May 2011, it was announced that the entire Alworths business had been bought by Poundstretcher who were acquiring 15 Alworths branches. Those not acquired are Llandudno and Evesham (and Amersham which had closed in 2010).
In addition to legal action threatened by Page and Thomas, on 30 October 2009, it was announced that Woolworths brand owner Shop Direct had written to Alworths to demand that it cease from "using a name and a product mix and trading off the back of the goodwill of the Woolworths business".
Shop Direct have subsequently decided against legal action
Other locations mentioned as possibly were Lanark
in Lanarkshire
, and Faversham
, Kent
. In late 2009 a Facebook
campaign was started to get Alworths to open a store inside the old Woolworths in the Somerset
town of Shepton Mallet
.
The Didcot store opened on the 100th anniversary of the opening of the first Woolworths store in Britain, in the former Woolworths premises in Didcot, which had closed exactly eleven months earlier; many of the staff are former employees of Woolworths. At the Didcot opening, it was announced that a further 21 Alworths stores would open over the next year, with two being at other Oxfordshire locations. while 7 will be in Scotland. Alloa
will be the tenth store to be opened (the third in Scotland) but will also be the very first store not to be located in a old Woolworths
store.
The original Didcot
branch closed on 8 August 2010 and the re-located branch, in the same shopping centre, opened on 14 August 2010. Amersham
in Buckinghamshire
closed on 12 September 2010.
In early August 2010, Alworths store in Didcot
closed down and moved to a smaller store after the landlord refused to renew the one year lease. The landlord initially hoped that Marks & Spencer
(M&S) would takeover the store however in the end Curry's took over the lease as the store did not meet M&S's specifications.
In the middle of August 2010, the landlord of another Alworths store in Amersham
also refused to renew their one year lease however this time Alworths were unable to find another suitable premises in which to relocate which meant they had to leave the town. Waitrose is taking over a new lease for this store.
After the company entered administration, the Evesham store closed and did not reopen after the purchase of the company by Poundstrecher.
This now means that the first, second & third store that Alworths opened, have now all been closed.
On 7 March 2011 the Llandudno branch was closed down by the landlords for non payment of rent; this store was already in the process have having a "closing down" sale, it had been open for less than a year. Wednesday 9th march 2011 the Llandudno branch had reopened, however it's still continuined with its Closing Down Sale.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
high-street retail stores created out of the remains of some of the former stores of Woolworths Plc. When the company fell into administration 15 branches were acquired by Poundstretcher
Poundstretcher
Poundstretcher is a chain of discount stores operating in the United Kingdom. It is based in Deighton, England, near Huddersfield on the A62.-History:...
.
History
At the end of 2008, and the beginning of 2009, the parent company of the Woolworths stores, Woolworths Plc, was in financial trouble, and went into administration. All of the Woolworths high street stores were then closed. During the demise of the company, Tony Page, former commercial director at Woolworths, together with former UBS banker Gareth Thomas, put together plans to establish a new general retailer to fill the gap on the High Street left by the demise of Woolworths. A team was recruited, including Andy Latham, former Woolworths' Head of Store Concessions and Development. Latham later announced that he was starting Alworths (the store being named after Latham's initials) using funding from a wealthy relation. Page and Thomas announced that they were consulting their lawyers on courses of action against Latham. The first Alworths store, was in Didcot, opening on 5 November 2009, 100 years to the day of the original opening of the first British WoolworthsWoolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
store, over the following 12 months 18 other store opened.
On 1 March 2011, Andy Latham resigned as a director of the board. Andy Latham set up a new company called 'Retail Acquisitions Ltd, with the same registered office as Alworths', prompting speculation that a pre-pack administration was being contemplated.
On Monday 28 March 2011 the company was placed into administration, with many stores no longer selling music, games or even pick n mix. Policy of no returns has also come in to effect. By 25 April at least five store had closed, the company no longer have any shops in Scotland.
On 5 May 2011, it was announced that the entire Alworths business had been bought by Poundstretcher who were acquiring 15 Alworths branches. Those not acquired are Llandudno and Evesham (and Amersham which had closed in 2010).
Legal action
In October 2009 it was announced that Latham had secured funding from a family member for a new company which would not involve Page or Thomas. Page said that as a result, he and Thomas were talking to their lawyers. In the end, Page and Thomas did not pursue legal action as the business did not succeed.In addition to legal action threatened by Page and Thomas, on 30 October 2009, it was announced that Woolworths brand owner Shop Direct had written to Alworths to demand that it cease from "using a name and a product mix and trading off the back of the goodwill of the Woolworths business".
Shop Direct have subsequently decided against legal action
Stores
The new chain is branded 'Alworths' and announced store openings are:- DidcotDidcotDidcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
in OxfordshireOxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
on 5 November 2009 (relocated August 2010) - WarminsterWarminsterWarminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the town park. The Minster Church of St Denys sits on the River Were...
in WiltshireWiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
on 20 November 2009.
- AmershamAmershamAmersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
in BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
on 12 November 2009 (not taken over) - EveshamEveshamEvesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
in WorcestershireWorcestershireWorcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
on 19 November 2009. (not taken over)
- WokinghamWokinghamWokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
in BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
on 26 November 2009. - CoshamCoshamCosham is a northern suburb of Portsmouth lying within the city boundary but off Portsea Island. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 along with Drayton and Wymering and Bocheland , Frodington and Copenore on the island.The name is of Saxon origin and means "Cossa's homestead"...
in HampshireHampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
on 12 February 2010 - New MiltonNew MiltonNew Milton is a market town in south west Hampshire, England. The town has a high street and holds a market every Wednesday. Situated on the edge of the New Forest, the town is about 6 miles west of Lymington town centre and 12 miles east of Bournemouth town centre.-History:New Milton dates back...
in HampshireHampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
on 21 May 2010. - CuparCuparCupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
in FifeFifeFife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
on 16 June 2010. - ForfarForfarForfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...
in AngusAngusAngus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
on 18 June 2010. - AlloaAlloaAlloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....
in ClackmannanshireClackmannanshireClackmannanshire, often abbreviated to Clacks is a local government council area in Scotland, and a lieutenancy area, bordering Perth and Kinross, Stirling and Fife.As Scotland's smallest historic county, it is often nicknamed 'The Wee County'....
on 21 July 2010. - LlandudnoLlandudnoLlandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
in Conwy on 13 August 2010. ( Not taken over) - Tiverton in DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
on 25 August 2010 - SwadlincoteSwadlincoteSwadlincote is a town and unparished area in South Derbyshire, about southeast of Burton-upon-Trent and about south of Derby. It is the main town of South Derbyshire and the seat of South Derbyshire District Council....
in DerbyshireDerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
on 8 September 2010. - NewhavenNewhaven, East SussexNewhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...
in East SussexEast SussexEast Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
on 10 September 2010. - HertfordHertfordHertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...
in HertfordshireHertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
on 22 September 2010 - NewarkNewark-on-TrentNewark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 , and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way...
in NottinghamshireNottinghamshireNottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
on 23 November 2010 - MaidenheadMaidenheadMaidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
in BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
on 26 November 2010 - BellshillBellshillBellshill is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, 10 miles south east of Glasgow city centre and 37 miles west of Edinburgh. Other nearby towns are Motherwell , Hamilton and Coatbridge . Since 1996, it has been situated in the Greater Glasgow metropolitan area...
in LanarkshireLanarkshireLanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
on 27th November 2010
Other locations mentioned as possibly were Lanark
Lanark
Lanark is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade"....
in Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
, and Faversham
Faversham
Faversham is a market town and civil parish in the Swale borough of Kent, England. The parish of Faversham grew up around an ancient sea port on Faversham Creek and was the birthplace of the explosives industry in England.-History:...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. In late 2009 a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
campaign was started to get Alworths to open a store inside the old Woolworths in the Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
town of Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet is a small rural town and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset in South West England. Situated approximately south of Bristol and east of Wells, the town is estimated to have a population of 9,700. It contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council...
.
The Didcot store opened on the 100th anniversary of the opening of the first Woolworths store in Britain, in the former Woolworths premises in Didcot, which had closed exactly eleven months earlier; many of the staff are former employees of Woolworths. At the Didcot opening, it was announced that a further 21 Alworths stores would open over the next year, with two being at other Oxfordshire locations. while 7 will be in Scotland. Alloa
Alloa
Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....
will be the tenth store to be opened (the third in Scotland) but will also be the very first store not to be located in a old Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
store.
The original Didcot
Didcot
Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
branch closed on 8 August 2010 and the re-located branch, in the same shopping centre, opened on 14 August 2010. Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
closed on 12 September 2010.
In early August 2010, Alworths store in Didcot
Didcot
Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
closed down and moved to a smaller store after the landlord refused to renew the one year lease. The landlord initially hoped that Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
(M&S) would takeover the store however in the end Curry's took over the lease as the store did not meet M&S's specifications.
In the middle of August 2010, the landlord of another Alworths store in Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
also refused to renew their one year lease however this time Alworths were unable to find another suitable premises in which to relocate which meant they had to leave the town. Waitrose is taking over a new lease for this store.
After the company entered administration, the Evesham store closed and did not reopen after the purchase of the company by Poundstrecher.
This now means that the first, second & third store that Alworths opened, have now all been closed.
On 7 March 2011 the Llandudno branch was closed down by the landlords for non payment of rent; this store was already in the process have having a "closing down" sale, it had been open for less than a year. Wednesday 9th march 2011 the Llandudno branch had reopened, however it's still continuined with its Closing Down Sale.