Woolworths' five former High Street and St Albans Road stores

The company’s British shops closed in 2009 after the financial crisis but the brand in Germany, where it is known as Woolworth, was kept alive by HH Holding.

The firm’s boss Roman Heini said last week that the UK was on his “bucket list” of destinations as he looks to expand internationally.

With speculation of a possible comeback growing as a result of the chief executive’s comments, we have taken the opportunity to look back at Woolies’ history in Watford with the help of Christine Orchard, the volunteer archivist at Watford Museum.

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Woolworths first started trading in Watford during World War One and the company was to occupy four different locations throughout their near 100-year presence in the town, together with a North Watford store in St Albans Road.

Watford's first Woolworths c1920 (Image: Watford Museum)

124 High Street

Christine said: “This was Woolworths first store in Watford (shop number 68/1). They began trading here as ‘F W Woolworth & Co Bazaar’ in 1916 and later ‘F W Woolworth & Co Ltd, 3d and 6d Stores’ in 1916.”

The name of the store had changed in this image from c1922-30 (Image: Watford Museum)

The shop was probably purpose built and Christine explained: “It replaced two independent retailers’ shops: 124 (Mr Smith’s fish and poultry shop) and 126 (Thomas Mullet, hardware dealer).”

The expanded store at 118-124 High Street after taking over neighbouring shops (Image: Watford Museum)

118-124 High Street (plus Burton’s later)

This was a new store built for Woolworths. The company brought up more premises and combined them to construct a new larger store and were still trading as FW Woolworth.

Christine said: “People who recall it will remember the red and gold shop sign and the wooden floors and high counters inside. Apparently Woolworths was a place to go if it was wet. There must have been some interesting smells!

This image dates from c1964 and shows Woolworths after taking over the former Burton's shop (Image: Watford Museum)

“By the mid-1960s, the store’s shop floor area was expanded again with the acquisition of Burton’s shop on the corner of King Street. Burton’s had become the last shop before King Street when the Kings Head had been demolished in 1961.”

The curved front so many people will remember (Image: Watford Museum)

Corner of High Street/King Street

Christine said: “During a modernisation programme the new shop with the big curved front was built. The shop was known as Woolworths by now.”

The shop on the corner of King Street (Image: Watford Museum)

This shop remained open until January 20, 1990 and the site was subsequently cleared and redeveloped.

The last High Street branch opened in 2000 (Image: Google Street View)

29-35 High Street

Christine said: “Watford had to wait almost ten years for a new High Street ‘Woolies’.

“This new shop, built near Clarendon Road, was opened in 2000. But by November 2008 Woolworths was in administration with debts of around £385million.

“No buyer was found for the business so the shortlived High Street store closed in January 2009 when the site was purchased by Watford Council.”

The September 1938 image of the St Albans Road branch (Image: Watford Museum)

St Albans Road

Christine said: “This is the earliest known view of the building Woolworths occupied in North Watford.

"This picture must predate Woolworth’s arrival because the image (dated to September 13, 1938) has a blanked out shop sign which reads “3d & 6d Metropolitan Stores Ltd 3d & 6d”.

"When this Woolies opened it stayed open until the end!"