The ‘news’ that Woolworths was returning to the high street seemed like a nice step-change for 2020, didn’t it?

Trademark owner of the Woolworths name in the UK and operators of Woolworths online until 2015,  The Very Group, refuted claims of a comeback but it didn’t stop us reminiscing.

Before Woolworths shuttered in 2009, its shops were considered a linchpin of the high street. The chain’s demise was well-documented and came at a time when online shopping was tightening its grip on the retail landscape. Additionally, we were in the midst of a global banking crisis, there was no Instagram, mum and dad hadn’t discovered Facebook yet, and DVDs and Blu Rays were still our primary source for home movies.

Before its collapse, Woolworths was synonymous with Christmas due to the genuine bond with it had established customers. After all, this is the brand that once had “Woolworths is Christmas” blazoned across its windows.

Before the John Lewis tearjerkers, Woolies had cracking Christmas ads, rows of tinsel-tinged aisles bursting with festive must-haves, sparkly window displays and immaculately merchandised shelves (that didn’t last long once the hoards poured in admittedly).

Anyway, back to the adverts. The song Walking in Winter Wonderland was often used across its campaigns, so much so that it became the unofficial song for the retailer in the winter months. They didn’t get it right every time (we’re looking at you, Jackie Chan and Wooly the Sheep), but check out this gem from 1995:

And who can forget this corker featuring Ant and (a slightly pervy) Dec?:

WXY’s Gemma’s ultimate being from 1996: 

There was even some love for Keith the Alien, although we’re not keen due to the nineties and early noughties already a veritable feast of naff 3D characters.

Taking off the rose-tinted glasses, they might not achieve the same admiration they once did, but like the Toys R Us theme song and Coca-Cola’s Holidays Are Coming, as soon as those first bars of Walking in a Winter Wonderland strike up, it’s Christmas at Woolies.

But as Nelly Furtado once sang, “all good things must come to an end.”

In an age where consumer’s are more health conscious and Spotify and iTunes the dominant force in how we consume music, Woolworth’s pick and mix and cheap CDs might be considered out of step. In fact, it was Woolworths out of touch attitude that was part of its eventual demise.

That being said, retailers can take a few pages out of the Woolworths Christmas playbook - especially during its 80-90s run. Nothing was particularly original or flashy, with some of its primetime ads seemingly limited by budget constraints, but it’s a reminder to brands that they don’t need to airbrush their creative to perfection. Sometimes all you need is a catchy song and some basic products on show to make people feel real joy.

The rogue Twitter account that posted about Woolies high street return managed to garner some press attention and cheer people up on an otherwise dull Tuesday, but the Very Group has zero plans to resurrect the old favourite, unfortunately.

So, until they come to their senses, we’re off to Wilko.

[Special credit to the Woolworths Museum website for some of the info on this piece.]

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