Woolworths is top consumer choice for high street return

A consumer survey conducted by Walnut Unlimited discovered the retailers that shoppers would most like to see return to the high street, with Woolworths, Debenhams and BHS among the most-wanted. 

Only 7% of Brits had not heard of Woolworths and more than two-thirds said they would like to see it come back to the UK. Woolworths went out of business in 2008 following the global financial crisis, after it struggled with slow sales and supply chain issues. 

Walnut Unlimited research director Amy Nichols said: “The ‘rosy retrospection effect’ is a powerful behavioural science concept that helps explain why so many people feel emotionally attached to now-defunct retailers and why they often remember them more fondly than they may have experienced them at the time.

“It’s not just nostalgia, it’s a psychological tendency to filter out the mundane or negative and amplify the emotional highs. We remember the excitement of Woolworths’ pick ‘n’ mix, not the long queues or cluttered aisles.”

The research also revealed that although the return of Woolworths was most desired by older shoppers, 44% of 18-to-25-year-olds said they’d love to have it back, despite mostly being toddlers or primary school age at the time of its collapse. 

“There’s a growing appetite for ’newstalgia’, the blending of old and new,” said Nichols.

“Think of the resurgence of vinyl. The popularity of Y2K fashion. The TikTok love for 1990s aesthetics. Gen Z may not remember Woolworths, but maybe they understand the appeal of a brand with soul?” 

Other retailers on the ranking include Mothercare, C&A, Dixons and Topshop – which made headlines last month when its managing director said the brand was working towards “a permanent store presence at some point”.