Some say the world is a sadder place without Woolworth. Today, everybody knows Walmart, but years ago Woolworth was the #1 retailer in the world. It was more than just another store chain, it was a wonderful experience that does not exist anymore. The buzzing fluorescent lighting, the lunch counter, the unforgettable smell when you enter, the bargains... Everybody remembers a visit to a Woolworth, for candy, great food at the lunch counter, soda, anything from toys to cough syrup, from toothpaste to shampoo... You could get milkshakes, not ones from a machine but real ice cream put in real milk by a real human person. Maybe someday we will remember Walmart as we remember Woolworth, as a long lasting retailer from a past retail era.

OVERVIEW:

Woolworth's was a large chain of "five & dime" stores founded by Frank Winfield Woolworth. The discount chain managed to survive the five & dime era and stay in business into the 90's. In 1993, the chain began a vast reorganization plan that led to the closure of nearly half of its more than 800 stores. Canadian outlets were re-branded TheBargain!Shop. In 1997, the company closed its remaining stores in the U.S..

When the Woolworth Corp.'s stores division was closed, the corporation changed the company name to Venator Group. This was to cut the links to their roots and focus on the future of the company with a more modern name. They shouldn't have been so ashamed to bear the Woolworth name as it has been a so recognized and loved corporation. For years Woolworth's was a mainstay in the shopping routines of many American customers and when a Woolworth was built in their town, people were happy to have Woolworth unlike today when the proposal of a big box store stirs up controversy and criticism. In 1999, Venator moved out of the Woolworth building. Venator Group. has been renamed Foot Locker Inc. in 2001-2002. Officials said that this name was more representative of the company's main business, selling sports shoes in their Foot Locker stores.

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