Cassette Tape Ads

1990 and Woolworths are pushing blank cassettes as the ideal gift (again)


On the subject of Woolworths I was in Poland last week and was surprised to see a branch although I didn't get a chance to go in. Research shows that (unlike the unrelated Australian Woolworths) they can trace their history through the German subsidiary all the way back to the original American F.W. Woolworths. I suspect Woolworths is the U.K.s most lamented shop. Look on eBay U.K. for the number of people selling old bags etc as collectables. That reminds me to go and buy some Woolworths Pick and mix cups if they are still there

Looking to the future there are rumours Woolworth Deutschland might bring the brand back to the U.K. I doubt if theye will be putting out national adverts for blank cassettes every week though.

 

That’s awesome!

I still remember the ones in our area and back when I was a kid, in fact I was born in the same town as the original one that was opened. They would call them the five and dime store. You could also buy lunch there, as they had a little restaurant in them.
As far as I know my area of the northeastern United States was the birthplace of the original Woolworths. It was called CS Woolworths, and later merged or turned into FW Woolworths, and they were scattered throughout the world.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that’s the story.

thanks for posting that.

 

Here is information on the German stores
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolworth_Deutschland

The U.K. stores lasted until 2009. One of the reasons they closed was that the pivoted more and more towards physical media, even becoming a wholesale distributor of CDs DVDs etc to supermarkets etc. That worked well until most people moved over to streaming.

Some more history from around the world https://www.woolworthsmuseum.co.uk/aboutwoolies.html
A final twist in the story is that the U.K.s most successful DIY store B&Q, our equivalent of Home Depot, started out as an offshoot of Woolworths.

 

Nice history. It’s cool that they survived And it sounds like thrived. Ours over here all shut down years ago.

 

The TDK Blimp over the Sydney Opera House

 

In the early 1990s a pack of ten tapes in a carry case was a heavily advertised Christmas gift.

1991 Asda

1992 Woolworths