BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores

Subject: BS: Iceland buys 51 Woolworths stores
From: Rasener
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 01:01 PM

Great news

Frozen food retailer Iceland has bought 51 former Woolworths stores, and said it plans to create 2,500 new jobs.

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 Woolworths stores
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 01:09 PM

That's great news and gives us all a bit of hope.

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 Woolworths stores
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 01:15 PM

I heard that rumour in Sidmouth the other day, "Iceland or Poundland"

I'm kinda glad it was the first. Great news on the job front for some people, and let's hope that a small fraction of those who lost their jobs with Woolies now are able to find work with Iceland.

Sidmouth High Street looks 'lost' without Woolies in there....and strangely, we have a jumper shop, also called Woollies (with two l's) who've also closed down, a little further down the road.

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 03:24 PM

And here I thought Skipy's home government was changing its investment strategy...

~ Becky in NJ, at the moment

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 05:19 PM

Me, too. It seemed a really odd direction to take at this juncture. (Dollar Stores are much more a going concern around here. . . )

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Azizi
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 05:57 PM

Good news..

Just as an aside, the nickname "Woolies" is interesting. Even folks in the USA are in to nicknames, I've never heard that nickname or any nickname for that matter given in this country to "Woolworths".

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: peregrina
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 06:11 PM

'cause we used to call it the ten cent store, or five and dime?

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 06:16 PM

I feel like I am reading something that pops up in the Facebook Game Metropolis...

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 06:36 PM

Here's a link with a list of the 51 stores involved.

It looks as if the empty Woolies in Harlow isn't one of them - that's a shame, because the Iceland we've got is on the small side. Very useful for all that.

And the same goes for our Poundland - it could definitely do with more room, because it's always jammed out with shoppers. Maybe that'll take over the empty store.

I still can't understand how Woolworths managed to screw up so badly...

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 06:40 PM

Harrogate isn't on the list either :-(

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 02:25 AM

Azizi - 'I've never heard that nickname or any nickname for that matter given in this country to "Woolworths".'

Standard in the UK - no-one ever refers to 'Woolworths', always 'Woolies'! Yet another example of 'two nations divided by a common language'? :-) :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Little Robyn
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 02:51 AM

It's Woolies in New Zealand too, but hopefully ours are not in danger of closing.
Robyn

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Noreen
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 06:39 AM

According to that article Iceland offered to buy all of Woolworth's 815 shops last year but the offer was rejected as unacceptable.

Good for the stores bought, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Arnie
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 06:59 AM

Woolies gave me my first job as a Saturday lad when I was a schoolboy all those years ago. Fond memories of the store and it's a real tradegy that the company has gone bust. The Woolies store in Dover only opened a few years ago and gave a boost to that area of town. Now there will be yet another empty store to join the dozens of others - there's hardly any point in paying the high parking charges in town any more 'cos there's nowhere left to shop!

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 03:07 PM

I thought Skarpi was ona buying spree!

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 05:01 PM

Iceland is a funny company. One time I bought a microwave oven off them. After a while it broke down. they replaced it with a new one, which also broke down and which they also replaced with a new one. And the same thing happened again.

In the end, I couldn't work out whether it was a good deal or a bad deal. I always had a new microwave, on the other hand - they kept breaking down.

After smoke started pouring out the back of the third replacement one, I went to Currys and got one which has never given a day's trouble.

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 05:12 PM

Skipy PM'd me with a "--??" -- I meant Skarpi, of course!! (Got Stilly confused, too!)

~ Becky in NJ, at the moment and not having enough time available online to concentrate appropriately on these important interactions ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Iceland buys 51 UK Woolworths stores
From: Megan L
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 05:14 PM

The scary bit is some of us knew exactly what you meant:)