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Which direction for Woolies now?

Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Branwell Johnson, Latest reporters' blogs June 18th, 2008 by Branwell Johnson

It’s a long time since there has been much “wonder” at Woolies and while the blame cannot really be settled on the shoulders of chief executive Trevor Bish Jones he has decided to step down.

The retailer has said that it is an “appropriate time” for a new captain to take the helm. But what new course can any helmsman set? It has long been said that Woolies would not be invented and launched now as a retail proposition – it seems to have no role or purpose in the modern day high street.

Its original selling point was its ability to offer every household item or utensil you could think of at a cheap price. That is no longer true, I think we all have examples of popping into Woolies looking for something it used to stock to find it doesn’t any more.

It also tried to be a major player in CD and DVD – both formats that are under siege from dedicated online suppliers and piracy. Woolies recently dropped CD singles and is pinning its hopes on its own download service but as a brand is it still so strongly associated with music and film that it can attract youngsters online?  It certainly doesn’t have the youthful edginess of its competitors such as iTunes and MySpace.

However, after all the criticism, getting Jackie Chan to star with mascots Wooly and Worth for a recent ad campaign was a stroke of crazy genius .
So good luck to whoever picks up the mantle. But tamper with Wooly and Worth at your peril!

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