Dear LPG,

I wonder if readers can cast their minds back to ten years ago this week.   Lots of things happened but the most significant one for me was the demise of Woolworths. 

I remember us all having about a week to see what was left in the shop and what bargains we could bag.  I remember visiting the Lewisham store on the last day and just how full of people the shop seemed, in spite of the big space but so many of the shelves and isles were missing.  Somehow it was easier to miss the amount of people when the other shop furniture was there.   It felt like the last-minute bargain-hunters, me included, were all there just capitalising on what was left and I found that very sad even though I was doing exactly the same thing.   But it is really startling to me that it all happened ten years ago. 

Since then so many shops disappear so regularly that we all seem to accept it blaming the recession and the ease with which we can now buy things online.  Just this time last year we learned that Maplin’s was the then latest shop-name that would quickly become part of the UK high street history, but we also now accept that there will be a rush to see what final deals are to be had without a second thought these days.  It happens so often now that we forget the names of those shops that we knew so well and thought would always be there.

I found a list of some of the names which we have lost in this way and hope that LPG will post it so that we can take a few minutes to remember them just for a short while. 

MH, Catford

LPG has shared the list the MH mentioned in the above message and also found some more information about Woolworth’s for those who are interested. 

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