F. W.

Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth's, orWoolworth) was a retail company

and one of the original pioneers of the five-and-dime store. It was arguably the most successful
American and international five-and-dime, setting trends and creating the modern retail model which
stores follow worldwide today.
The first Woolworth store was opened by Frank Winfield Woolworth on February 22, 1878, as
"Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store" in Utica, New York. Though it initially appeared to be
successful, the store soon failed. When Woolworth searched for a new location, a friend
suggested Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Using the sign from the Utica store, Woolworth opened his first
successful "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store" on July 18, 1879, in Lancaster. He brought his
brother,Charles Sumner Woolworth, into the business.
The two Woolworth brothers pioneered and developed merchandising, direct purchasing, sales, and
customer service practices commonly used today. Despite its growing to be one of the largest retail
chains in the world through most of the 20th century, increased competition led to its decline
beginning in the 1980s. The chain went out of business in July 1997, when the company decided to
focus on the Foot Lockerdivision and renamed itself Venator Group. By 2001, the company focused
exclusively on the sporting goods market, changing its name to the present Foot Locker,
Inc. (NYSE: FL)
Retail chains using the Woolworth name survive in Austria, Germany,Mexico and, until the start of
2009, the United Kingdom. The similarly named Woolworths supermarkets in Australia and New
Zealand are operated by Australia's largest retail company, Woolworths Limited, a separate
company with no historical links to the F. W. Woolworth Company or Foot Locker, Inc. However,
Woolworths Limited did take their name from the original company, as it had not been registered or
trademarked in Australia at the time.[citation needed] Similarly, in South Africa, Woolworths Holdings
Limited operates a Marks & Spencer-like store and uses the Woolworth name, but has never had
any connection with the American company. The property development company Woolworth Group
in Cyprus began life as an offshoot of the British Woolworth's company, originally operating
Woolworth's department stores in Cyprus. In 2003, these stores were rebranded Debenhams, but
the commercial property arm of the business retained the Woolworth's name.
Contents
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1History
o

1.1Origin

1.2Rise and expansion

1.3Diversification

1.4Decline

1.5Focus

1.6Woolworth and its lasting influence on popular culture

1.7Greensboro sit-in

1.8Presidents

1.9Logos
2Non-American retail users of the Woolworth name

2.1Former F.W. Woolworth subsidiaries

2.2Others

3Litigation

4See also

5References

6Further reading