When the Shopping Was Good: Woolworths and the Irish Main Street

Organized by time period, this book outlines the history of Woolworths in Ireland, from the establishment of the first store in 1914 until the final closures in Northern Ireland in 2009. Walsh (history, Lancaster U.), covers in-depth the events surrounding the closures of 1984, which were due in part to the resale value of the real estate. Entertaining and well-referenced, the volume contains four appendices outlining the establishment and locations of stores and listing the inventory departments of all stores through the early 1960s. An extensive bibliography with references to primary works from the F.W. Woolworth & Co. Ltd and an unpublished thesis and survey are included. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

F.W. Woolworth & Co. Ltd opened their first Irish outlet in Grafton Street in 1914. Twelve months later, a second branch was launched in Belfast's High Street. In the ensuing decades, almost 40 more stores were established. For generations of Irish shoppers, a visit to their nearest Woolworths store was regarded as an essential part of a day's outing. When the Shopping was Good presents a lively and entertaining account of this distinctive chain's retailing style in Ireland. The Woolworth's story reflects the social changes that were taking place in the lives of ordinary people: new shopping habits, new career and employment opportunities, and the life-long friendships for the staff. Taking each decade in turn, the narrative examines the lives of the people who worked for Woolworths, the products they sold, and the competition they faced. Turbulent times in the 1920s and 1930s, the domestic political situation, two world wars, and subsequent shaking up of the retail scene in the 1960s