Ten Years On, the Wonder of Woolworth Is That Its Shops Are Still in Business...

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For nearly a century it had been as much a fixture of almost every high street as the post office and the bus stop. So the disappearance of its 807 branches exactly 10 years ago, amid global financial meltdown, was a watershed moment – a harbinger of the demise of traditional shops in a new landscape of online retailing.

In the decade to come, the high street may move still further away from the 20th century style of retailing – with shops that stand out from the crowd the ones most likely to survive, a Yorkshire academic said.

“Selfridge’s is continuing to thrive and make money because they have found a way to offer something more than just a product to buy,” said Alessia Grassi, a lecturer in marketing at Huddersfield University.

Financial problems at House of Fraser, which was bought out of administration in the summer by Sports Direct, and at Debenhams, which has posted the biggest losses in its history, were symptoms of having failed to innovate,” she said.