Woolworths to stay online with Shop Direct

The Woolworths brand has been acquired by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, owners of the Daily Telegraph.

Shop Direct, which is owned by the Barclay brothers, is buying the Woolworths brand as well as the clothing label Ladybird which will be reborn online.

“This is great news and we are confident that Woolworths, as an online brand, will once again prosper and quite rightly stay at the heart of British retailing,” commented Shop Direct’s chief executive Mark Newton-Jones.

He noted that it will be the 100th year of the Woolworths brand and his company is proud to keep the brand going for future generations.

Mr Newton-Jones added that many people love the brand and it is a significant part of the UK’s retail heritage.

Woolworths went into administration in November last year and over 800 stores shut down.

Joint administrator Neville Kahn, from Deloitte, explained that his organisation was pleased to have reached an agreement to allow Woolworths to continue operations.

Woolworths is calling on consumers to share their views on what they would like to see from the online store.