Littlewoods
Encyclopedia
Littlewoods is the name of a former retail and gambling company founded in Liverpool
, Merseyside
, England
by John Moores
in 1923.
It started as a shopping catalogue company, processing orders by post in the early 1970s. In 1981, it expanded to a call centre, processing orders via telephone. At its height, there were about 4,000 employees working for Littlewoods. However, the catalogue market was transformed with the emergence of the internet, and phone transactions slowly diminished after the mid 1990s. It was around this time that Littlewoods began closing its stores, with the outlet at Merry Hill
in the West Midlands
being one of the first outlets to close in 1996.
Littlewoods was among the leading retailers who relocated from town centre stores to new developments, mostly in Enterprise Zones, to take advantage of the financial incentives that the zones offered. The Merry Hill store, opened on 14 November 1989, was a notable example, replacing the store in Dudley - although that store did not close until January 1990, after its replacement had opened.
In 2000, The Moores family sold the Littlewoods Pools business to Rodime
.
In October 2002 the Moores family sold the shopping and catalogue business to David and Frederick Barclay
for £750m. In 2004 Littlewoods was merged with Kays Catalogues
to create the Littlewoods Shop Direct Group (now Shop Direct Group). The amalgamation of the two businesses led to the closure of many of both brands' distribution centres. Kays main centres in Worcester
and Leeds
were closed, while Littlewoods main operations in Liverpool were cut back.
The closure of its 126 stores was announced on 19 April 2005.
Many of the Littlewoods high-street shops were subsequently sold en-masse to Primark
. A few stores were sold to Argos, the only competitor to Littlewoods Index company.
Index failed just before the sale of the Stores chain, having suffered a fall in trade largely due to competition from up and coming chains such as TK Maxx and Matalan
.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by John Moores
John Moores (merchant)
Sir John Moores CBE was a British businessman and philanthropist most famous for the founding of the now defunct Littlewoods retail company that was located in Liverpool, England.-Early years:...
in 1923.
It started as a shopping catalogue company, processing orders by post in the early 1970s. In 1981, it expanded to a call centre, processing orders via telephone. At its height, there were about 4,000 employees working for Littlewoods. However, the catalogue market was transformed with the emergence of the internet, and phone transactions slowly diminished after the mid 1990s. It was around this time that Littlewoods began closing its stores, with the outlet at Merry Hill
Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Westfield Merry Hill is a shopping centre in Brierley Hill near Dudley, West Midlands, England. It was developed between 1985 and 1990, with several expansion and renovation projects taking place since. The original developers and owners were Richardson Developments but the Centre has had a number...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
being one of the first outlets to close in 1996.
Littlewoods was among the leading retailers who relocated from town centre stores to new developments, mostly in Enterprise Zones, to take advantage of the financial incentives that the zones offered. The Merry Hill store, opened on 14 November 1989, was a notable example, replacing the store in Dudley - although that store did not close until January 1990, after its replacement had opened.
In 2000, The Moores family sold the Littlewoods Pools business to Rodime
Rodime
Rodime was an electronics company specialising in hard disks, based in Glenrothes, Scotland. It was founded in 1979 by several Scottish and American former employees of Burroughs Corporation and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1986, becoming Rodime PLC....
.
In October 2002 the Moores family sold the shopping and catalogue business to David and Frederick Barclay
David and Frederick Barclay
Sir David Rowat Barclay and Sir Frederick Hugh Barclay are British businessmen. The identical twin brothers have very substantial business interests primarily in media, retail and property. The Sunday Times Rich List of 2007 estimated their wealth at £1.8 billion...
for £750m. In 2004 Littlewoods was merged with Kays Catalogues
Kays Catalogues
Kay and Co Ltd was a mail-order catalogue business, with offices and warehouses throughout the United Kingdom. It was a very successful company, especially during the latter part of the 20th century....
to create the Littlewoods Shop Direct Group (now Shop Direct Group). The amalgamation of the two businesses led to the closure of many of both brands' distribution centres. Kays main centres in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
and Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
were closed, while Littlewoods main operations in Liverpool were cut back.
The closure of its 126 stores was announced on 19 April 2005.
Many of the Littlewoods high-street shops were subsequently sold en-masse to Primark
Primark
Primark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
. A few stores were sold to Argos, the only competitor to Littlewoods Index company.
Index failed just before the sale of the Stores chain, having suffered a fall in trade largely due to competition from up and coming chains such as TK Maxx and Matalan
Matalan
Matalan is a British retailer that specialises in shoes and clothes. It was founded by John Hargreaves in 1985. It currently has 200 stores across the UK. The 200th store opened on 22 September 2006 in Croydon...
.