Is Woolworths going to return to shops in Suffolk?

Woolworths had left the UK high street by the start of 2009, about a century after the first store was opened in Liverpool. 

Around Suffolk, Woolworths were a staple of the high street, with shops in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich, Sudbury, Felixstowe and Stowmarket, as well as Lowestoft and Beccles. 

The Woolworths in Sudbury (Image: Newsquest)

Now, the boss of the Woolworth brand in Germany, Roman Heini, has said that the UK is on his "bucket list" of destinations to bring the discount store back to. 

In the same interview, Mr Heini announced that the trademark has been secured for the brand across the whole of Europe, including the UK, but this will most likely be in the more distant future. 

READ MORE: Former Woolworths stores in Suffolk and what they are now

So, what are the former Suffolk Woolworths stores now?

The Bury St Edmunds Woolworths was opened in 1928 in a vast store on the Cornhill. Now, the site is split into a phone shop, a Poundland and a Sports Direct. 

Woolworths opened in Felixstowe in Hamilton Road in 1931 and closed in 2008, turning into a Peacocks store shortly afterward.

Stowmarket's Woolworths opened later than the others, in 1952, and had a similar fate to the Felixstowe store, now existing as a Peacocks too.

The Ipswich Woolworths became discount shop Poundland after it closed in 2008.

The Ipswich Woolworths kept its sign lit for several days following its closure (Image: Newsquest)

The Beccles store became a QD shop and the Lowestoft Woolworths became a Poundstretcher after they both closed in December 2008.

Woolworth in Germany is different from the discount store that we knew in this country: it does not sell pick 'n' mix, toys and cosmetics, but home goods and clothing. 

With the trademark secured for the UK branch to return, the discount retailer may be closer to our high streets than we thought.