Woolworths could be making a shock return to the UK at some point in the future, according to a new interview with its CEO.
We all know the iconic retailer was an absolute stalwart of British high streets for over 100 years.
It started out in the UK all the way back in 1909 as F.W Woolworth & Co, and was known for selling children’s clothing, stationery, and toys right from the very beginning, before expanding its offerings as the years went on, and eventually properly taking off in the mid-1920s.
At the height of its success, new Woolworths stores were opening doors as often as every two to three weeks, and by the time 2008 rolled around, there were 807 branches across the country.
But sadly, one the recession hit amid the 2008 financial crisis, Woolworths’ sales started to rapidly decline – which led to the Group entering administration with Deloitte in November 2008.
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All Woolworths stores closed down for good by early January 2009.
Woolworths reportedly could be making a return to UK high streets / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | David Wright (via Geograph)
Since then, other retailers such as Wilko, B&M, and similar discount stores have appeared to fill the void, but that hasn’t stopped Brits lamenting the loss of the beloved ‘Woolies’ and begging for its return to our side of the pond once again.
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And now, it seems like those calls for a comeback could have finally been listened too.
That’s because Woolworths’ CEO, Roman Heini, has set out at his plans for the future of the company in a new interview, and a return to Britain is apparently on his “bucket list”.
Hinting at what could be to come for Woolworths within the next decade or so, Mr Heini – who joined Woolworth Germany in late 2020, after formerly steering the ship at supermarkets Aldi and the US branch of Lidl – told Retail Week that he has sights set on the UK.
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Woolworths’ CEO, Roman Heini, says he wants to bring the retailer back to our country / Credit: Woolworth GmbH
“The market is still there to be divided between the potential players for the future.”
Although a return to the UK is something that’s on Heini’s “bucket list,” it seems that nothing is imminent, and there are no actual concrete plans set out for a return any time soon.
He continue: “I don’t know of any brands where the recognition will be as high as it is in Britain, without having any stores. We have secured all the trademarks for the brand for the whole of Europe, so we could operate if we make the decision.
Tesco shoppers urged to use up £16.5m-worth of Clubcard vouchers before they expire this month
Emily Sergeant
Tesco is urging Clubcard members to check if they have any vouchers that need to be used up, as millions are set to expire at the end of this month.
Clubcard Vouchers, which are always valid for two years from issue, need to be exchanged before the clock strikes midnight on the last day of this month (30 November), and can go towards everything from the cost of the weekly shop, to pay for fuel, or to pick up a new Tesco Mobile deal.
What’s more is that shoppers can also exchange the remaining vouchers for double their value too -with more than 100 Clubcard reward partners.
You can even take advantage of some all-new reward partner deals as well.
These include the new ‘Tesco Tuesdays’ offer with Cineworld, giving Clubcard members the chance to get cinema tickets for Tuesday showings for just £5 (£2.50 in Clubcard Vouchers), and the amazing new triple value voucher offer with PizzaExpress, meaning £10 of Tesco Clubcard vouchers can be redeemed for a code for £30-off food at the popular pizza chain.
According to Tesco’s stats, if the soon-to-be expired vouchers were all used for ‘Tesco Tuesdays’, it would be enough to get 6.6 million cinema tickets at Cineworld, and if they were exchanged at PizzaExpress, they could secure a whopping £49.5 million of reward codes.
Clubcard members can earn Clubcard points in a variety of ways, including using their Clubcard when they shop or purchase fuel at Tesco, or when they charge electric vehicles at Pod charging facilities at Tesco stores.
Today, it’s believed that more than 24 million UK households have a Tesco Clubcard.
“We don’t want anyone to miss out on making the most of their Tesco Clubcard Vouchers, and with some great new offers with Clubcard Rewards this really is a great time to use those vouchers up,” commented Shama Wilson, who is the Tesco Group Membership and Loyalty Director.
“So it really is worth checking in the Tesco app to see if you have any vouchers expiring.”
Featured Image – Tesco
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Bongo’s Bingo is hosting a series of special ‘Christmas Cracker’ and New Year’s shows
Danny Jones
Britain’s beloved Bongo’s Bingo is hosting a series of massive end-of-season specials to ring in the new year, announcing a number of their famous ‘Christmas Cracker’ and festive parties.
They’re also holding a ‘Big Fat Bingo of the Year’ (we don’t see any trademark issues whatsoever…), including one for NYE.
As one of the best nights out, not just in the North but in the country, they’re hoping to send you into 2026 singing, dancing, laughing, and hopefully with some lasting memories and maybe a prize or two.
Confirming the latest raft of shows starting this month, you can expect all the usual Bongo’s madness and more, plus all the bells and whistles, as well as plenty of tinsel and holiday cheer.
We’d love a new hoover for Christmas, to be fair. (Credit: Press shot)
Returning to Albert Hall as it regularly does throughout the rest of the calendar, Bongo’s Bingo is promising to give Manchester a Christmas and New Year’s period they’ll never forget.
As they put it, the hosts will be “transporting everyone back to the time when coloured tree lights and flammable tinsel ruled supreme, because the halcyon days of turkey with all the trimmings, mini bottles of Babycham and not a naughty elf in sight are BACK big time at Bongo’s Bingo.”
Bloomin’ ‘eck, they don’t half know how to get a crowd fired up even before they’re in the room, do they?
Set to deliver all the best festive tunes, “dodgy Santa Clauses” – their words, not ours – as well as plenty of foil hats fresh from the Christmas cracker, they’ll be partying with us Mancs multiple times throughout December, not to mention a bonus show at the end of November as we fully swap autumn for winter.
As for the ‘Twixmas’/’Christmas gooch’ period (again, not our words…), the format will then switch to the Big Fat Bingo of the Year, with quiz elements featuring all the biggest memes, tunes and cultural moments of 2025.
You can see the full list of Bongo’s Bingo festive dates for 2025 down below:
Bongo’s Bingo Christmas Cracker and Big Fat Bingo of the Year dates
Christmas Cracker
November – Fri, 28
December – Sat 6 Dec (day and night), Sat 20 Dec, Sun 21 (day), Mon 22 and Tues 23
Big Fat Bingo Of The Year
Sat, 27 Dec (day and night), Sun 28 (day) and NYE 2025
If you’re interested in booking onto Bongo’s Bingo this Christmas and/or New Year’s, you can find out more information and grab your tickets right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd January 2024 
