Littlewoods fascia, Plymouth, 2000.
For much of the 20th century, the Moores family operated a number of highly profitable businesses under the ‘Littlewoods’ name, including football pools and mail-order catalogues. The most visible aspect of their lucrative empire, however, was the chain of Littlewoods high street stores. Architecturally, few of these buildings were as handsome as the stores of rivals such as Marks & Spencer, C&A, or even British Home Stores. Commercially, they never inspired the same affection as Woolworth. Yet Littlewoods was strong presence in British shopping centres for a good 65 years, and its closure in 2002 seemed to mark the passing of a retail era.
Littlewoods Pools was founded by John Moores (1896-1993; knighted 1980) in Liverpool in 1923. The business adopted the name of one of Moores’ original partners, Colin Henry Littlewood. In 1932 it expanded to include mail-order retailing, organised through local clubs. The subsidiary Littlewoods Mail Order Stores Ltd was formed in 1937, and the first outlet opened on Waterloo Road in Blackpool.
Littlewoods stores were similar to British Home Stores (BHS), selling a variety of low-cost (3d. to 2s. 11d.) clothing and household goods. Blackpool was followed by a number of other prime locations, including Oxford Street in central London, Brixton, Birmingham and Manchester. Littlewoods – like Woolworth – seems to have specifically targeted popular seaside towns, including Morecambe and Ramsgate as well as Blackpool.
The former Littlewoods in Morecambe, photographed in 2002. c.R. Baxter
By 1939 there were 24 stores. A number of these were purpose-built for Littlewoods to designs by J. S. Quilter & Son. John Salmon Quilter (1841-1907) was, in fact, long dead, but his architectural practice had been continued by his son Cecil Molyneux Quilter (1879-1951). Quilter specialised in commercial architecture, notably public houses. He designed a new Blackpool store for Littlewoods, on the corner of Church Street and Corporation Street, which was faced in Empire stone. He also designed a store in Chester, and may have been responsible for the one in Morecambe. This faience-clad art deco building is the best surviving example of a pre-war Littlewoods store – indeed, it may be the best surviving Littlewoods of all time – even preserving ‘diamond L’ motifs on the entrance lobby floors. These clearly copied Woolworth’s ‘diamond W’.
Lobby floor, Morecambe, in 2002. c.R. Baxter
Food departments were introduced into Littlewoods stores after the war, and as soon as it became feasible the company resumed its expansion policy. By 1956 there were 55 stores plus 12 ‘Jemima Shops’, specialising in blouses and lingerie.
Hull in 2000
Annual reports were published at length in the national press from the mid-1950s through to the mid-1960s, providing details of Littlewoods’ development programme at that time. In 1956, for example, new stores opened in Banbury, Torquay, Islington, Lancaster, Crawley, Dumbarton and – actually a rebuild – Watford. The company maintained: ‘we retain the services of one of the leading designers to make sure that our stores are not only gay and attractive but efficient places in which to do the household shopping. In addition, we are always studying store practice in America and on the Continent, and are always ready to introduce new ideas if we believe that they will give our customer better service’ (quoted from The Times, 16 May 1956, 22). Unfortunately, the ‘leading designers’ were not identified.
Former Littlewoods building on Oxford Street, London, in 1999
The Shrewsbury store under construction. c. Historic England, John Laing Collection
After Quilter’s death, Littlewoods seems to have depended on its in-house architects. By the early 1960s the company was experimenting with curtain walling, notably on Oxford Street, London, where a new building designed by in-house architect D. M. C. Roddick (with consulting engineer Septimus Willis) opened on 15 March 1962. The store occupied the lower floors, while the upper-floor offices were offered to let. The white-on-blue Littlewoods lettering on the fascia was in the blocky ‘Egyptian’ fashion of the time. In other cities, where lettable office space played no part in schemes, the company’s preference was for minimal windows – reduced to thin horizontal strips or, by the end of the 1960s, done away with altogether. Regardless of façade treatment, stores had steel frames – as can be seen in a John Laing photograph showing the Shrewsbury store under construction in 1964. Tragically, a labourer was killed by falling concrete floor slab during the construction of this building.
Bristol in 1999
Plymouth in 2000.
Plymouth in 2016
As Littlewoods’ taste for blind façades – plain, textured or panelled – implies, sales floors relied heavily on artificial lighting and ventilation. Readily-available evidence for interiors is sparse but the up-to-date restaurant in the Stockton-on-Tees store of 1959 served to illustrate press advertisements for ‘Pel’ tubular steel furniture for a number of years. New store openings in 1960 included Basildon, Kirby, Oldham and the Glasgow ‘superstore’, regarded as ‘one of the largest single-floor chain stores in the country’.
Littlewoods, Leicester, in the mid-1970s
Stevenage in 1998.
By 1965 the number of Littlewoods stores had risen to 70, and by 1984 to 108. Significant developments in this period included Leicester (1968), Gloucester (1968), Wolverhampton (Wulfrun Centre, 1969), Watford (extension 1970), Bath (Southgate Centre, 1972), Glasgow (extension to Argyle Street, enlarging store to 90,000 sq.ft.), Exeter (1973), Bradford (1976; 75,000 sq.ft.) and Peterborough (Queensway Centre, 1982). By the mid-1980s, Littlewoods was moving from town centres to out-of-town shopping centres. Moores’ long-term aim, to establish a chain of 120 Littlewoods stores, was achieved by 1990.
Lincoln in 2000.
At the age of 81 Sir John Moores stepped down as Chairman in 1977. His son Peter took over briefly, but Sir John resumed control between 1980 and 1982. The main initiative of the later 1980s was Index Catalogue Stores. In 2005, when this loss-making chain folded, there were 66 freestanding shops and 93 inside Littlewoods stores. 33 shops were sold to rival catalogue retailer Argos.
Family disagreements about business strategy in the wake of the founder’s death in 1993 prompted unsuccessful takeover bids for the company. The outcome was a complete separation of ownership from day-to-day management, which was placed in the hands of a new Chairman, James Ross, and Chief Executive, Barry Gibson. Events in the late 1990s seem to highlight the absence of a consistent strategy. First of all, in 1997 a planned expansion programme was abandoned in order to develop the home shopping division. Then a deal to sell all 135 stores to Kingfisher fell through, but 19 large stores were sold to Marks & Spencer for £200 million. According to some commentators, this marked the start of Marks & Spencer’s much-publicised troubles. In 1999 Littlewoods began to (retail-speak alert!) update the store environment of 35 premises in the first phase of a £120 million investment programme which would affect every store (now numbering 112) within three years.
Hereford in 2000.
Meanwhile the introduction of the National Lottery in 1994 had thoroughly undermined the pools business, which was sold for £161.8 million – a fraction of its pre-Lottery value – in 2000.
When the decision was taken by the Moores family to sell all remaining 119 Littlewoods stores in 2002, they initially intended to retain the more profitable home shopping operation with its successful website. However, they accepted an offer of £750 million for the entire enterprise from the Barclay Brothers, owners of the Ritz Hotel, the Scotsman newspaper and numerous other businesses. Subsequently the stores closed – many were sold to Primark – and the Littlewoods name vanished from the high street after 65 years. Littlewoods home shopping is now part of the Barclays’ Shop Direct Group, a business initially formed through the merger of Littlewoods and Kays Catalogues and later joined (until 2015) by Woolworths.
Building Our Past 
Pingback: Art Deco & Art Nouveau Trail in Morecambe & Heysham. Twenty buildings Blog | Lake District Malarkey
Memories especially seeing the Hitchens name once again! Thank you. Worked at Littlewoods store in Chapel Market Islington London N1 in the early 1980’s and it closed then Hitchens took over to sell remaining stock. Got redundancy money twice too… Those were the days when markets were markets. Cant replicate those sounds or atmosphere in shopping cities like Westfield!
LikeLike
Do you know who would have the Archive of the Littlewoods Group as i am researching some areas of land on which the Littlewoods store occupied and the extension built to the side and back of the original store.
Regards
David
LikeLike
Hi David. You could try Shop Direct. Otherwise the building regulation plans often kept in local record offices (or for London, the LMA) may provide all the information you need.
LikeLike
The photo of the Shrewsbury store in construction has the Lovatt sign on the scaffolding, John Laing constructed the adjoining Woolworth building
LikeLike
Hi Les. That’s correct. The photo comes from the fabulous John Laing Collection in the Historic England Archive (based in Swindon). The Laing Collection is a little-known source of wonderful images for anyone working on 1960s buildings. I used quite a few in my book about Woolworths.
LikeLike
I worked in the Leicester store from 1984 to 1989 for most of that in The Foodhall managed by Mrs Taylor. I loved working here but deteriating health bought an end to my time here, which was a really happy time. Sadly after I left I saw the foodhall replaced by iceland which did’nt last long and The Restraunt saw its management transfered to a outsde company. The Store in Leicester became very out dated and shabby, in 2005 it closed down.
LikeLike
remember littlewoods leicester 1980’s was a teenager then great cafe and balcony am i right in thinking the food products were labeled “keynote” as this seemed a trend at the time like st michael winfield and so on?
thankyou stewart
LikeLike
That’s right Littlewoods Home brand goods were labelled ” Keynote”
LikeLike
I worked for Littlewoods for a number of years in the late 70’s/early 80’s, initially as a “Saturday boy” and later as a Display Dresser, full time. I was based in Hounslow store (103) and travelled to Kingston and Reading stores and then based at Hammersmith store and travelled to Brixton and Islington stores and when required supported West End and Marble Arch. I finished my time with the company based at Slough store and covered Harrow.
Each store had its own personality but my favourite was probably Brixton. The store was being run down long before the Brixton Riots and the area that had been the food hall had been set aside to act as a clearance area for catalogue stock or stock brought in from other stores at the end of the season.
The store had previously been a cinema and also acted as a music hall. The stores ground floor was sloped due to the rake of the stalls and the first floor, which housed the display room, cash office, staff canteen etc was on several levels which corresponded with the rake of the circle or balcony.
After the riots it was decided that the window displays would be removed. I had to gather all the display equipment to be collected and redistributed to other stores. The third floor, which I had never been to before, had been used for storage and I had to collect a few old mannequins from there. As I went up the stairs I saw a framed menu on the wall from when the third floor had operated a restaurant or tea room……I wish I’d had the nerve to pinch it at the time!
Does anyone have any more information about any of the stores I have mentioned above?
LikeLike
Hi, I used to work at the Kingston store in ’64, in the canteen, tea & coffee boy.
That was a long time ago.
Roy
LikeLike
Hello to the Team at Building Our Past – A fantastic article about the Littlewoods’ Stores and how they came about. I wonder if either yourselves or anyone out there have any more information on the Littlewoods Store in Oxford Street.
The reason why I’m asking – this year my parents-in-law will be celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary. They met in 1958 on a Young Ramblers Walk. My father-in-law knew that my mother-in-law worked behind the counters of Littlewoods in Oxford Street and sought her out where she worked. The rest is history!
I’m getting together a memory box and was wondering if you might have come across anything else for the Littlewoods’ Store in Oxford Street. Old pictures of the store inside and out would be much appreciated. Or description of the style of the store etc.
LikeLike
I was the assistant manager at the Oxford St Store ,from Sept 1958 to April 1959.
The Store Manager was Chris Godding,and the area
Superintendent was Mr Vivienne Hearne. There was a Trainee Manager , Mr Crouch,and a tall man called Ian ( a Scotsman) he ran the souvenir shop next to the store. The only sales girl i remember,
was a Miss Green who was known as Buzz Green because of her hair style. I can visualise other members of staff,but afraid I can’t put names to them.
Prior to my move to Oxford St, . I was assistant manager at the Islington Branch..sorry I can’t be of any further help. But I hope that you manage to get more info.
LikeLike
When I worked at Hammersmith Store, in 1980/81, as a Display Dresser I had to travel to Brixton store and Islington Store. Islington store had no display to speak of as the windows had been incorporated into the sales floor and by 1981 it had become a clearance store for catalogue goods and end of range lines from other stores. The thing that was unique about this store then was that it traded seven days a week. Because there was a market in the street, Chapel Market, on the Sunday, the store was allowed to open and trade. At the time it seemed very strange……how times have changed!
LikeLike
i worked in the Ramsgate store in 1959 when the Hennessy pub was next door which eventually burned down…What a great place that was! A man named Mr. Worrall was the manager of Littlewoods and a Mrs. Dabin the Assistant manager.Started working in the stockroom before graduating to the sales floor. First experience in retail – learned a lot. Quit in 1960 and emigrated to British Columbia….best move I ever made!
LikeLike
I worked I the Birmingham store from 1982 to 1990. During my time I saw many changes to the layout of the store – particularly the introduction of Point Of Sale (POS) tills and ‘soft walkways’ within the departments. This was later adopted by all other leading department stores. I vividly remember that the store was closed for 2 weeks in early 1984 for a total refurbishment and this saw the introduction of the orange signage, orange tiled walkways, beige carpets and more upmarket merchandise.
I briefly met Sir John Moores during a visit he made to the store in 1982. He had another relative, Lady Granchester, who also visited the store – I can’t remember now how she was related to him, but we all thought that she was a dead ringer for Margaret Thatcher!.
I have fond memories of the people who worked in this store during the time I was there. I worked my way up from Sales Assistant in food to Department Manager in menswear – I was ‘made up’ as it was referred to at the time. I remember that the senior staff had their own table in the canteen
(it was all very Are You Being Served). Also, when I first started work there I could not get over the amount of stairs involved when going from the sales floor to the canteen. One of 1960s state-of the-art features of the store was that it had a staff car park on the roof which was accessed by a car lift.
I have many good memories of working there – particularly the social aspects and I even played for the store football team for a short while. Oh, and not forgetting, Littlewoods sponsored The Milk Cup ( AKA The Littlewoods Cup) this was during the late 1980s and 1990s.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lady Granchester was Sir John,s sister
LikeLike
Very interesting history of Littlewoods. I was hired as a junior trainee in 1960 and sent to Portsmouth. I was 18 and paid six pounds a week! Posted to Gosport, then Crawley, Slough, Brixton, Birmingham 11, Liverpool and brad new store Shrewsbury in 1960 as assistant manager at age 22. I wonder what happened to all the floormen and trainees I knew? I left LW is 1965 to go to the USA where I still am today. Send News if you have it. Peter Bond at Pbond23915@aol.com
LikeLike
my mother worked as a security officer in the Edinburgh Littlewoods shop In Princes Street around the late 1960’s and i would love to hear from anyone she worked with who remembers her. -laura_lupins@yaho.co.uk
LikeLike
my mother worked as a security officer in the Edinburgh Littlewoods shop In Princes Street around the late 1960’s and i would love to hear from anyone she worked with who remembers her. -laura_lupins@yahoo.co.uk
LikeLike
I worked on the building of chesterfield shop for almost 2 years as a bonus surveyor, does anyone remember me
LikeLike
I used to remember going to the branch in Woolwich in the 90s as a child.
Does anyone have any pictures of the inside / restaurant?
Would be great to see it.
LikeLike
I joined Littlewoods as Management Trainee in Manchester 9 in 1963 and progressed through Oxford St.3, Bedminster 36, Gillingham 19, Morecambe 18, Glasgow 27 to become Store Manager in Ellesmere Port 67 (1967-71), Inverness 90 (1971-74) and Derby 4 (1974-76) before transferring to Head Office, Old Hall St., (1976-82). I met many wonderful people and had some hilarious experiences.
I would welcome any news from contemporaries in these locations. I am now retired and living in the Cotswolds.
LikeLike
David
I have fond memories of working for you as your AM at Ellesmere Port 67 have lost touch… grahamtapley@gmail.com
LikeLike
Hi David
I would like to discuss your time at the Ellesmere Port in particular. Could you please contact me for a chat? I hope to hear from you soon. Louise
LikeLike
Hello, Louise – thanks for your post. I am happy to give full details of my time as Manager of the Ellesmere Port branch of Liitlwwods from Sept 1967 to February 1971. Do you know the Ellesmere Port store?
LikeLike
I lived in Erdington, Birmingham for several years and we had a Littlewoods Store on the High Street in the village. I actually bought a striped jumper from the store around 1979-80’s and I am still wearing it at home on a chilly night. I can’t remember the price of it but I wonder if this is a length-of-service record?
LikeLike
I worked at the Torquay store initially just Saturdays & after college late afternoons 1983-1985.I was offered a full time role(they called it a job back then!!) and took it…..I thought I’d won the lottery!! I worked between the ‘wineshop’ and ‘menswear’ and occasionally the ‘restaurant’ cleaning tables (which I hated!!).It really was character building for a young person and we had SUCH a giggle…. particularly when we were in the stockroom,we were always mucking around!! We were always terrified of the staff manager Miss Cole who from memory went on to work in Boots(bizarrely!!) she was replaced by an older lady who lived on Dartmoor with her horses(she was really posh & I wondered how on Earth she ended up as a staff manager in Littlewoods).Our “uniforms” were head to toe polyester:chocolate brown “slacks” & tie,matched with beige shirt…..my favourite was the lambswool jumper (light brown) which was actually really good quality….. certainly a lot of their clothes were made in the UK and were upto M&S standard.I remember a trainee Manager joining us from Liverpool (his Dad was on the board I think!) he had red hair and a broad Scouse accent…..he soon became the Manager and was as streetwise & tough as the come…..he had fisticuffs with a drunk in store and I was VERY impressed!!! The staff canteen was brilliant…..so cheap(or was it free?!!)There was even a hair salon upstairs
…..I can remember having a Kevin Keegan ‘perm’ in my extended lunch break!!! Days never to be repeated again I’m sure….it was as mad as working in Grace Brothers with all the senior staff on one table overlooked by portraits of Sir John Moore…..I miss those days actually,after my time at Littlewoods I moved to the Civil Service (yawn!) The original Torquay store is now Boots and Littlewoods built a state of the art new store in 1986…..it then became a New Look store when Littlewoods gave up the ghost,even they went bankrupt & I think it’s been mothballed ever since!!Sad end to a great era…..I have ‘Keynote for quality’ stamped on my brain!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, I’m trying to remember the clothing brands at Littlewoods. Anyone help ? Lisa x
LikeLike
hi lisa , yes its keynote (see my comment further up the page)
steven:):)
LikeLike
I worked in Lincoln store (89) for 25 yrs+ great store met and still friendly with many former colleagues. Formerly the Regal Cinema its now a Primark.
After leaving in 1998 I then worked for a local construction company in 2000 and ran their archives, where I just happened to have the original photographs of Store being built. Small World!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, I used to work part time in the Hammersmith branch of Littlewoods from 1987 to 1988. I enjoyed my time working there, and met lots of friendly people. Would like to get in touch with a persin called Monica who used to work with me until she left to work in a bank. If anyone can help mevtrace her, I would be greatful.
LikeLike
Hi, I used to work part time in the Hammersmith branch of Littlewoods from 1987 to 1988. I enjoyed my time working there, and met lots of friendly people. Would like to get in touch with a person called Monica who used to work with me until she left to work in a bank. If anyone can help mevtrace her, I would be greatful.
LikeLike
Great to read all of the comments on everyone’s experience with Littlewoods, I also worked in the stores for 15 years leaving in 1999. It was a great grounding in retail for me and set me in the road working for Woolworths, Peacocks and finally Gap.
For those mentioning they would like to find out about their old colleagues, you may be aware but there is a re-union society called the Garcia Society which meets annually for formal ( normally Blackpool) and informal dinners. So that might be a good place to start.
LikeLike
I always shopped in the Rimford store for my mum. There was a brand they took over that began with a B but I can’t remember it. Can anyone help please?
LikeLike
The brand you are trying to recall I think is the Berketex label but I am unsure of the spelling!
LikeLike
40 years ago I used to have to catch two buses in Derby to go to college. I usually nipped into the Littlewoods store on Cornmarket in the town centre on my return leg home as the bus stop was just outside. Memories of Littlewoods own brand Cola. I’ve never tasted pop like it since. My mother used to take me there to buy my grammar school uniform in the 1970’s (everything except the blazer and tie which had to be bought from Batties on Sadlergate). I was a poor kid and got a grant from the local council towards the uniform. The ladies on the Littlewoods staff were always very nice and never looked down their noses at ‘grant uniform’ kids. Unlike the battle axes at the nearby Co-op Dept Store.
The store is now Primark. Still boiling hot on the low ceilinged top floor.
LikeLike
Hello, Nig – I was the 2nd-ever Manager of Littlewoods, Cornmarket, 1974-1979. I lived in Bannels Avenue Littleover. I managed three Littlewoods Stores in total and the staff in Derby were the best I ever worked with. I’m so pleased you remember your visits there with happy memories.
Kind regards, David
LikeLike
Blimey small world David. I lived in Mickleover (adjacent suburb to Littleover) when my mother remarried in the early 80’s. I still shop at Iceland occasionally in the old Littleover village centre.
A lot of people used the Littlewoods, Cornmarket store to pick up food items on their way home from work as a lot of the bus stops were just outside. Cornmarket has long been pedestrianised as has St. Peter’s Street. What was once a vibrant and bustling town centre is now a haven for street drinkers and vagrants begging for money I have to say (the council even built marble benches in St. Peters Street…..talk about providing seating for the drinkers). The only food retailer in the town centre (in the supermarket sense of the word) is now Tesco Express at the bottom of St. Peters Street in what was once the Marks and Spencers building. The Peoples Socialist Heroic Workers Republic of Derby City Council is shutting the Eagle Centre market down and allowing a Lidl to be built there instead. Probably some time next year (as part of the development they will be demolishing the Castle and Falcon pub (no great loss as the interior and the regulars are like a holding pen for the Jeremy Kyle show)). When the council gave planning permission for the new Westfield Centre (then called the Intu Centre and lately the Derbion (comical)) it tore the heart out of the town centre and all the major retailers shut up shop and moved a mile uphill to the site of what used to be Main Centre a 60’s built shopping arcade that was demolished to make way for Westfield.
H. Samuel which had stood on the corner of Cornmarket and Albert Street, probably since Disraeli was in power, upped sticks and moved to the Westfield along with the rest.
I don’t know if you partook of the night life in Derby in the 70’s and 80’s but it was so good coachloads of people travelled into Derby for a good night out from Nottingham, Leicester, South Yorkshire etc. I was a glass collector (one of my many student jobs) in the Pink Coconut nightclub and met many folk from out of town. Derby has no real night life to speak of these days but is very popular among the real ale crowd. I met some people from down south recently who were on a pub crawl around the real ale pubs.
LikeLike
I started with Littlewoods in 1970 in Liverpool as a trainee, remember my firdt Xmas eve shovelling all tgrvdetritus into the baling machine in my one and only suit… Manager wss Eric Barker i think.. Did stints in Rochdale, Carlisle, Slough, with a fairground generator during blackouts, Belfast, Worcester, Ayr, Glasgow Argyle St and Londonderry… I well remember driving my old Ford Anglia from Sauchihall St to Argyle St full of sides of bacon… Also singing Lonesome Pine along with Dougie Yule in Londonderry for staff Xmas meal entertainment… Oh fond memories….. If anyone rembers me feel free to contact. petermaden5074@gmail.com
LikeLike
Hello I built the chesterfield store for Littlewoods, does anyone have any pictures of the site regards Terry Crowe late 60’s
LikeLike
I worked in the Bristol store in the 60’s it was a unique building the cafe overlooked the shop floor it should never have been knocked down.
LikeLike