1 Hockley, Nottingham NG1 1FJ
Woolworths opened their second Nottingham branch in 1927. This first one was at Listergate – Store 36. The new second branch was a smaller single-storey store, on a corner plot of Hockley and Cranbrook Street. It became known by locals as ‘Little Woolies’ (see below).
Source: Nottstalgia forum
A former employee shared her memories on the Nottstalgia forum:
“I worked at Hockley Woolworths in 1967/ 68. My main counter was hardware but we had to move on to other counters as and when we were needed. I remember the layout so well. As you went in the bottom door, on your right was the deli counter with bacon, cooked meats and cheeses. On your left was the sweet counter, then makeup counter. All at the bottom end or near the doors past the deli, as you went down to the far end was the grocery on the right. On the left was the biscuit counter, beyond that in the left-hand corner was the little glass sided office shared by the manager, senior cashier and Miss Mossman who was the senior supervisor. Down the back wall was the lighting section and along the side wall (that was kind of an L-shape) was the hardware counter. In front of that was the stationery counter and between that and the biscuits was the haberdashery counter.
For one month every year I would work in all the other stores as one of the checkers when they had done their own stock-take. Most of the smaller stores took two to three days, but it took two teams the whole week to stock check big Woolworths – they carried a lot more stock and much bigger warehouse.”
The store closed in the mid-eighties, and we know that in 1988 planning permission was requested to change the use of the ground and lower ground floor from a retail unit to class A3 use. In 1991 it was requested to change the use to a space games centre, video amusement arcade and fast food outlet. Photographs show the building was occupied by a bar called Berlins (below photo from 1999). You can recognise the angular shaped of the Woolworths windows and door entrances.
This bar closed down in the 2000s and it was a derelict building for many years. It was recently demolished and there is now a shiny new student accommodation building on this plot.
Woolies Buildings - Then and Now 