Big W (UK Chain)

Big W was a large format chain of megastores owned by the Kingfisher Group (later Woolworths Group PLC). This chain was composed of Kingfisher's brands, which were Comet, B&Q, Superdrug and Woolworths in one large megastore. At its peak there were 21 stores in the chain. Even though Woolworths scrapped the brand name in 2004, they continued to operate 14 of the stores and all of them but 1 remained until the administration in 2008. Despite sharing the name with the Australian chain Big W. both are not related in any means due to them being owned by 2 different companies. Big W's tagline was A lot for not a lot.

in 1967, The F.W. Woolworth Company opened their first British Woolco store in Oadby, Leicestershire. The store was 63,000 sq.ft and offered many products like Groceries, Fashion and household products. Woolworth later opened 2 more stores in Thornaby, Stockton on Tees and Bournemouth, Hampshire. They were all successful and eventually Woolworth had a 12 store chain under the Woolco name. When the F.W. Woolworth Company span off the British Woolworth, the Woolco stores were later converted to regular Woolworth stores, and then the company sold them off to Supermarket chain Gateway in 1986. Gateway then sold the stores once more, this time to Asda in 1988. Some of the remaining Woolco's still remain under Asda ownership to this day.

In 1980, Woolworth acquired the DIY chain B&Q, which at its peak had 26 stores. In 1982, Both the British Woolworth and B&Q chains were split from the F.W. Woolworth Company into Woolworth Holdings PLC. The company expanded by acquiring the Comet Group in 1984 and then Superdrug in 1987. Woolworth Holdings PLC was renamed Kingfisher Group PLC in 1989, to fit in more with the Woolworths name.

in 1998, the CEO of Kingfisher Group, Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy publicly revealed Big W, a chain of stores that would combine Kingfisher's 4 main brands. This chain was similar to Woolco, and featured products from Woolworths, Superdrug, Comet and B&Q in one roof. The 4 chains supplied everything for Big W except for Adult Clothing and Groceries. In the same year, Kingfisher's headhunters found someone who would run the Big W chain, The Canadian-born Bob Hetherington was chosen to Run Big W. He had experience with the American F.W. Woolworth Company as he used to run the American Woolco chain before it closed down. Hetherington wanted the Big W stores to be fun places to shop in and to offer entertainment during the weekend.