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The supposed return of high street chain Woolworths, which went into administration during the 2008 financial crisis, has been refuted by the owner of the brand’s UK trademark after a Twitter account reporting to represent the purveyor of pick ‘n’ mix announced the stores would be returning to Britain’s high streets, initiating a social media storm.
The account, named Woolworths UK, claimed the opening of new physical stores was “full steam ahead” in a tweet on Tuesday morning, following up with several other posts including one that said trail branches would be opening in 2021.
However, The Very Group, an online retailer which owns the Woolworths brand in the UK, said the account was not connected to them, while several Twitter users were quick to point out several suspicious happenings related to the account, including the misspelling of Woolworths and a faulty link to the company’s supposed website.
Some reasons to be sceptical Woolworths is returning…
1. They misspelt Woolworths
2. Website doesn’t work (+ ‘desperate companies’)
3. First post was at 12:24am – then tweeted until 1:39am, fell asleep and awoke at 7:44am, despite an apparent team of initialled tweeters pic.twitter.com/25zG2CvUcp— Edd Dracott (@EddDracott) October 27, 2020
The new revelations are likely to disappoint fans of the chain, which was a staple of many UK high streets until its 2008 collapse and became famous for selling a wide variety of goods, notably its expansive pick ‘n’ mix selection.
However, others may consider the debunked return of ‘Woolies’ to be yet another slap in the face that chimes with the rest of 2020. Others have pointed to the case as a good example of how disinformation can spread rapidly online before the facts are uncovered.
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