The first British Woolworths, which opened in Church Street, Liverpool on Friday, 5th November, 1909. (Image courtesy of Mr Scott Oakford)

First British Store

Frank Woolworth and his scouts toured the UK in search of sites for new stores. Initially they favoured Northampton as it was central, but F. W. loved Liverpool, which he found to be very like New York.

Liverpool was the second city of the British Empire, a huge seaport and thriving commercial centre. The premises at 25 Church Street on the corner of Williamson Street were luxurious, with mahogany panelling and chandeliers. The team decided this would show that they meant business!

A brass band was hired for the opening, and the first day, Friday 5th November 1909, was strictly a preview (viewing only). This gave customers and journalists the chance to enjoy free tea and cakes and admire the "superior values"!

Frank Woolworth, pictured in his best top hat and smoking a cigar Great products, great prices

Frank's cousin, Fred Moore Woolworth, was put in charge and tasked with setting up a buying and shipping operation (for exports back to the USA) as well as planning further openings.

The British Board included two other Americans, Charlie Hubbard and Samuel Balfour, as well as Frank who was Chairman at a salary of £1 a year to be paid in cash. They recruited an Englishman, William Lawrence Stephenson, to join the team and teach them about British customs and etiquette. Stephenson previously ran the shipping department of one of Frank Woolworth's big suppliers in Staffordshire and was chosen for his hard-work, commercial good sense and charisma.

Frank had expected that most of the products would be imported from the USA, but it soon became clear that American goods would be too expensive - so all but a few items were locally sourced, with the rest mainly from Germany and France. In many cases extra was ordered for export back to the USA.

Nothing over sixpence                 Nothing over sixpence hanging signs were a key feature of pre-war stores. They were made of sandblasted glass, with gold gilt overlaid on a rich maroon red background, trimmed in gold and hung on shiny brass chains from the ceiling.

The team translated the American five-and-ten cent formula to the nearest equivalent in local currency, threepence and sixpence (about 1.25p and 2½p). To compete with Marks and Spencer's Penny Bazaar (then mainly on market stalls or open-fronted shops) about half of the lines sold for a single penny. Bulk buying meant that they could offer ubeatable prices, sometimes only a quarter of the market rate. The preview day prompted lots of press coverage and ensured a huge crowd for the first days' sales. Virtually everything was sold out! The biggest ranges in the first store were Home (particularly China, Glass, Haberdashery), Clothing (Patterns and underwear), Christmas (Decorations and Cards) and music (sheets, not records).

Frank had picture postcards made of the interior of the first store before opening. We have copies of the pictures in our Gallery feature at 100thBirthday.co.uk.