15 years since Woolworths left St Helens and Earlestown high street

Opening along Church Street in St Helens in 1923, Woolies was an integral part of the town centre's growth and moved into a purpose-built building in 1960.

The retail store was a popular place for groceries, homeware, or a big bag of pick 'n' mix and employed more than 60 people in its Hardshaw Centre space.

The firm also grew as a retail landmark along Market Street in Earlestown after opening in 1957.

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The first Woolworths building in the 1920s (Image: Woolworths/ Historic England)
Despite being a titan of the retail industry, Woolies became laden with debt totalling £385m and collapsed around Christmastime in 2008, leading to the closures of all 807 Woolworths stores.

This spelled the end of Woolies after 85 years in St Helens, with 60 people losing their jobs as the Church Street store closed for good on December 27, 2008.

The Earlestown store closed quickly afterwards in January 2009, with 16 people losing work there.

Woolies closing down in St Helens in 2009 (Image: St Helens Star)
Since its closure in St Helens, the Woolworths buildings have had several guises as various budget stores and pop up indoor market areas.

However, as the large store has remained empty for many years, it has often served as a symbol of the fading strength of the high street.

Planning permission was granted to transform the unit into 18 apartments, a private gym and commercial units in early 2021. Planning documents gave developers three years to start the works, although this could be impacted by the council's regeneration plans.

The former Earlestown Woolworths on Market Street (Image: Marian Cropper)
Woolworths was also a major part of Earlestown's high street in times gone by, with many staff working there for decades.

It was one of the biggest attractions on Market Street and has since turned into Heron Foods.