Big W (United Kingdom)
| Company type | Subsidiary of Woolworths |
|---|---|
| Genre | Large Format Store |
| Predecessors | Woolco |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Defunct | 2004 |
| Fate | Format abandoned, re-branded as Woolworths |
| Successors | |
| Headquarters | England, United Kingdom |
Number of locations | 21 |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Products | General merchandise |
| Owner | Kingfisher (1998–01) Woolworths (2001–2004) |
| Parent | Woolworths Group |
| Subsidiaries | Out-of-Town Stores |
| Website | bigw.co.uk (Archive of former site from late 2003) |
Big W (later named Woolworths Big W) was a British variety store chain operated by the Woolworths Group. It was created in 1998 by the Kingfisher Group as a store format that would combine the best of their then-owned chains; Comet, B&Q, Superdrug and Woolworths, under one roof. Big W stores were found in Retail parks in contrast to the High Street format standard Woolworths stores were located within.
While initially successful, the split-up of the Kingfisher Group into a DIY-focused business led to trouble for the chain when it was included in the 2001 split of the General Merchandise division, resulting in low sales and poor financial results. Three years later, Woolworths announced that the Big W format would be scrapped in favour of smaller out-of-town stores branded under its own name, with some being sold to supermarket chains Asda and Tesco.