F. W. Woolworth & Co. Ltd.
Church Street, Liverpool (1909)

Brand: Vesta

Vesta was an own-brand of Woolworth, used (among other products, such as incandescent lamps) for far-east made transistor radios.

Woolworth (UK) was founded in 1909 as a branch / division of the American F. W. Woolworth Company.

In October 1982 the American parent sold its share of 51.7% of the British company for a sum of £310m, without the agreement of London stockholders and over the heads of the Board, to Paternoster Stores Ltd., which subsequently renamed Woolworth Holdings Ltd., and five years later rebranded as Kingfisher plc.

In around 1999/2000, after a failed proposed merger with Asda, Woolworths plc. was demerged and started new as a separate stock-market listed company with a debt of £200m.

All 807 shops were closed between December 2008 and January 2009, and on 19 January 2009, the owner, Woolworths Group, announced its intention to also enter administration.

F. W. Woolworth & Co. Ltd. existed from 23 July 1909 until 1 February 1987. Woolworths plc. existed from 1 February 1987 until 6 May 2009.