The Woolworths Museum

A century of fashion at Woolworths

The Ladybird and Fashion Gallery

 

I M P O R T A N T  N O T I C E

Today Ladybird is a dormant brand of Very Group Ltd and Woolworth UK/Eire is part of Woolworth GmbH.

This gallery explores the relationship between the High Street stores
and Pasolds, the creators of the popular Ladybird Clothing brand.
It covers the period from 1700 until 2008, from the birth of the
brand in Continental Europe, to the decision to move to Britain
in the 1930s, and the business relationship that blossomed
with F.W. Woolworth and Company Limited.

The store chain was the first major client of the British Factory,
and much later acquired an exclusive franchise in the 1980s
before buying the brand name outright just after the millennium.

The leading on-line retailer, Shop Direct (now Very Group Ltd) acquired the
Ladybird brand name from the Administrator in 2009. It also acquired the
Woolworth(s) brand name and the rights to trade in the UK, Ireland and
various European countries which it has since sold to Deutsche Woolworth GmbH, which
operates stores in Germany, Austria and Poland, each with its own non-transactional website
and a pan-European informational site at Woolworth.EU outlining its future plans
 
 

All trademarks are acknowledged.

 

Fashion overview (1909-2009)

 

Make it yourself patterns and thread

 

Birth of the Ladybird Legend

 

The first Ladybird items (from the 1930s Gallery)

 

History of the Ladybird Company

 

Building fashion sales (1950-80)

 

Launch of Ladybird at Woolies

 

Kids and Celebrations In-Store

 

The Easter Parade

 

 

Five foot long banners announced the arrival of Ladybird clothing on the counters at Woolworths in 1985/6