It's well done Wellworths - the first birthday (From Dorset Echo)

It's well done Wellworths - the first birthday

1:00pm Thursday 11th March 2010 in

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BIRTHDAY girl Claire Robertson is celebrating a year in charge of a retail phenomenon with news that a second Wellworths is on the cards.

As the staggeringly successful Wellworths today marks a year of defying the economic downturn on the high street, manager Claire has revealed that she is looking at replicating the store’s achievements.

“We are seriously looking at doing another store this year,” she said.

“We’ve been talking with some people about looking for properties but that’s as far as we’ve got.”

The location of a second Wellworths hasn’t been decided yet, Claire said.

“I’m thinking it will probably be in Dorset though,” she added.

A birthday party will be held in store today to thank customers for their support.

The first birthday will be rounded off with a special celebration for staff and suppliers tonight, without whom Wellworths would never have happened, Claire said.

This time last year, throngs of people came to watch Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans cut the ribbon to Wellworths.

With the help of an anonymous financial backer, former Woolworths manager Claire took a gamble on transforming the county town’s defunct Woolworths store.

She said that it has been far from a one-woman show.

“I think a lot of the articles in national newspapers about it have mentioned me, but it is all down to my staff,” said Claire.

“Without them I wouldn’t be here. It’s a bit like a family.”

And their loyalty to Claire and Wellworths is apparent – of the shop’s current 23 staff members, 20 of them are original Woolworths staff members.

Nothing could have prepared Claire for the way the shop captured the nation’s imagination, she said. It was the subject of a BBC1 primetime documentary last year and appeared on overseas news broadcasts.

“I’ve had national newspapers ringing me up asking me to give advice to Lily Allen about opening up a shop.

“The year has gone by so fast. It will be nice to have a bit of a knees-up.”