Collapse of High Street legend

7:00am Thursday 27th November 2008

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WOOLWORTHS, for long a staple of the British high street, has gone into administration putting tens of thousands of jobs at risk.

The news was announced at 6pm yesterday and stores affected will include around 12 in the district, and almost 200 staff across Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch, East and North Dorset and the New Forest.

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Deloitte has been appointed administrator to the store and its distribution business, Entertainment UK, which supplies DVDs.

However, the holding company and a publishing joint venture with BBC Worldwide, called 2 Entertain, will not be placed in administration, as they are self-funding.

Shares had fallen 90 per cent in value over the past year and share trading in the company was suspended earlier yesterday while talks continued in a bid to bail out the troubled business.

WOOLWORTHS’ future may be uncertain, but most people have fond memories of its heyday. Leave your Woolworths memories below. Or e-mail your thoughts to newsdesk@bournemouthecho.co.uk

As the board battled to try and save the firm, it seemed everyone had memories of their local Woolies store.

Poole resident Paul Lory, 63, has a longer association with the store than most, remembering being left in a Woolies branch by his mum when he was a baby.

He thinks the chain has lost the “convenience store” appeal it once had. “It used to be more of a general store but I think they concentrate too much on children’s stuff now,” he said, holding two bags of chocolates from the Poole branch.

“It’s not somewhere I’d go to look around now. They try to be too trendy.”

His wife Mary, 69, agreed but said it would be a loss to the British high street. She said: “It would be sad to see them go but I wouldn’t miss it as much.”

Maureen Scoble, 66, and her daughter Gina, 42, summed up the memories of so many generations.

Gina recalled filling up her bag with pick ’n’ mix as a young girl and said the shop represented the “British way of life”.

Maureen said she had just picked up copies of Mamma Mia on DVD and bought Lego for her grandson’s Christmas present.

“When the children were little we would buy all their toys there,” she said. “The staff are always really helpful and it is a big part of the community.”