Woolworths, colloquially known as"Woolies", is the biggest supermarket chains in Australia and is owned by Woolworths Group. The first Woolworths Stupendous Bargain Basement opened in Sydney’s Imperial Arcade in 1924. The store was a success, and soon a couple of new stores were opened in Sydney and other Australian cities. The chain then slowly expanded to New Zealand. Currently, Woolworths operates around 1,079 stores and employs more than 115,000 people in its shops, distribution centres, and support offices.
Woolworths is most known for its invention of self-service stores, where customers could collect their purchases themselves and pay for them at the cash register. This innovation was a big step forward for Woolworths’ development and a turning point for the way we shop now. In 1957 Woolworths, previously focused on mass-market retailing, opened its first food store. Since then, Woolworths continued to develop in grocery retailing successfully and, later, became the first nationwide retailer in Australia. The supermarket chain pays great attention to the quality of its products and ensures the best goods are available to the customers. People can find everything from vegetables, fruits, milk, and meat products to baked goods, frozen products, baby goods, and even pet supplies at Woolworths stores. Woolworths sells many products under its own brands. For example, Highgate, Sam’s Pantry, Thomas Dux Range, Frey, Apollo, Two Seeds, and others.
Woolworths Group currently owns and operates Woolworths supermarkets and Big W discount department stores in Australia and Fresh Choice, Countdown and SuperValue brands in New Zealand. In Australia, the city with the most Woolworths locations is Melbourne (10 stores). As for operating hours, the majority of Woolworths stores are open from 7 AM till 9 PM Monday through Saturday, and from 9 AM till 6 PM on Sunday. More information can be found above in the store location section, including precise working hours for every Woolworths store.
