Littlewoods

This article is about the former company. For the company which exists today, see Littlewoods (online retailer).

Littlewoods
IndustryMail order, Football pools
Founded1923 (stores), 1990s (online)
FounderSir John Moores
Defunct2005 (stores)
FateMerged with Kays Catalogues
SuccessorsThe Very Group
Littlewoods.com
Very.co.uk
HeadquartersLiverpool, England
Key people
Sir John Moores (Founder)
David and Frederick Barclay (Final Owners)
OwnerThe Very Group
SubsidiariesLittlewoods Index
Websitelittlewoods.com
Crowds gather for the opening of a new Littlewoods Store at Oswestry, 1950
The Littlewoods Building in Liverpool, former headquarters of Littlewoods
A former Littlewoods branch in Chesterfield

Littlewoods was a retail and football betting company founded in Liverpool, England, by John Moores in 1923.[1] By the 1980s, it had grown to become the largest private company in Europe but subsequently declined in the face of increased competition from rivals and the Internet. The original company, employing 4,000 people, was wound up in 2005; however, its brand name is retained by The Very Group as the online retailer Littlewoods.com.

  1. ^ "Littlewoods' John Moores, the father of home shopping". BBC. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2014.