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Goodbye Woolworths - An end of an era!
 No more Woolworths! - No more ‘pick n mix’ sweets and no more quick visits to see if the latest Doctor Who merchandise is out on this high street chains shelves!
As the Winter Sales get into full swing on the high street following the festive season, Woolworths has started to close their doors for the very last time.
Following the announcement that Woolworths was to enter administration on 26th November 2008, 200 stores have closed their doors one month on, on the 27th December 2008 after a chain which has been present on the high street for more than 99 years, could not be saved. By the 5th January 2009, all 807 Woolworths stores will have closed marking the end of a chain which has been loved by many.
Join Doctor Who Action Figures Online as we take a look back at Woolworths and their Doctor Who exclusive range.
Doctor Who Toys
Woolworths had been a destination store for many Doctor Who fans over the years who were seeking the latest Doctor Who merchandise to add to their collections. From the very first wave of Doctor Who action figures to the latest goodies from Series 4, Woolworths became known as one store where you could grab that latest piece of Doctor Who merchandise.
Woolworths had stocked a wide range of Who related merchandise over the years which included DVDs, books, lunch boxes, children’s clothing and not forgetting the toys. For many, the toy department was their first stop and provided an array of Doctor Who merchandise from manufacturers such as Character Options Doctor Who range.
The store was known to stock a wide range of Doctor Who toys which even included some exclusive lines. Action figure and remote control lines of all sizes made up bulk of their displays and their range was constantly refreshed to include new lines. Displays were supported by Doctor Who ‘Point Of Sale’ which allowed customers to easily identify the Doctor Who range at a glance and prices were at the RRPs or cheaper.
With competitive prices and occasional promotions, Woolworths will be missed and will leave a big gap in the high street for Doctor Who merchandise, however lets take a look back at some of those exclusive products the retailer brought us.
The Exclusives
Exclusive merchandise showed Woolworths commitment to the Doctor Who range and enticed customers into their stores; in a highly competitive sector, giving them an edge over their rivals.
One of the first pieces to enter stores was the 12” Imperial Guard Dalek from the Series 1 episode ‘Parting Of The Ways’ back in 2006.
 The 12” Imperial Dalek (2006) [Pictured] retailed at £34.99 and appeared in stores around the same time as the Toys R Us exclusive 12” Assault Dalek. It proved popular with fans and remains a rare item in the Doctor Who Remote Control range. This was the only exclusive 12” figure Woolworths commissioned, however more exclusives followed in form of gift sets in the 5 inch action figure range.
In September 2006, two Doctor Who Six Figure Gift Sets (2006) were released for Christmas 2006, featuring an assortment of Series 1 & 2 figures.
Set 1 contained the 9th Doctor, K9, Dalek Sec, 10th Doctor, Rose and Moxx while Set 2 contained Cassandra, K9, Dalek Sec, 10th Doctor, Rose and Moxx. Both sets retailed for £29.99 each, however they were later reduced to around £20 in special promotions.
The success of these sets prompted Woolworths to commission a further three sets for Christmas 2007. Each pack covering each of the 3 series so far.
 The Series 1 (2007) Gift Set contained the following Series 1 figures; Grey Auton, Gelth Zombie, Space Pig, Slitheen, Empty Child and the Regeneration 10th Doctor.
Series 2 (2007) contained the following Series 2 figures; Ood, Blue Clockwork Man, K9, Grey Krillitane, Damaged Cyberman and the 3D Glasses Doctor. It was this set out of the three sets which proved most popular selling out in many stores before Christmas!
The last set covering Series 3 (2007) contained the following Series 3 figures; Martha, The Doctor, Judoon Trooper, Lilth, Dalek Thay and the Scarecrow.
At the same time as the Series Gift Sets, another exclusive product was also commissioned by the chain to capture the Christmas 2007 market in form of the Doctor Who Army Of Ghosts Gift Set (2007).
The Army Of Ghosts set consisted of the following figures; Mickey, Dalek Thay, Damaged Cyberman and the Genesis Ark and retailed for £20. It proved popular with fans thanks to its exclusive mix of figures along with the Genesis Ark accessory and remained in stores for a number of months after Christmas 2007.
 In February 2008, released a much talked about Woolworths 5” Action Figures Tweaks Wave (2008) [Pictured]. It had been the discussion between many Doctor Who toy forums for many weeks before and proved controversial topic - even to this day - due to the small tweaks made to previously released Series 1 & 2 action figures packaged up in this wave.
Very minor changes were made to each figure which included glow in the dark parts to minor or lack of accessories which classed them as an exclusive figure. This wave failed to capture fans and proved one of the biggest failures to Woolworths Doctor Who range. Some of the biggest uproars from fans was the release of Series 2 Destroyed Cassandra, which was just a plastic frame and Series 1 Captain Jack with a cap accessory.
The only saving grace for this wave was that they were placed on a ‘Buy One Get One Free’ promotion for a few weeks, making them half price, however even to the very last days of some Woolworths stores, figures from the Tweaks range remained on the shelf and not even with 70% off the RRP shifted them.
Series 1 figures included; Doctor Constantine, The Editor, Sycorax Leader (no longer includes whip or staff), Gelth Zombie (Glow in the dark version), Captain Jack (with hat), Slitheen and the Ninth Doctor (with Auton Arm, Auton Mickey head and bomb)
Series 2 figures included; Rose (with Ice Extinguisher), Doctor In Space Suit (cracked helmet), The Tenth Doctor (With Portable Wire), Destroyed Cassandra, Ood (Glow in the dark version), Toby Zed (Possessed) and Toby Zed (Un-possessed).
It wasn’t until Christmas 2008 when Woolworths released its next (and final) Doctor Who exclusive product.
The Woolworths Micro Universe Ships Gift Set (2008) was introduced in September 2008 ready for Christmas 2008. Offering a gift pack with three Micro Universe ships, the pack which retailed at the competitive price of £14.99 (Normal RRP £29.99) and included one ship which could not be purchased anywhere else.
The Planet Of The Ood Rocket With Ood, packaged up with The Tardis With Doctor In Long Brown Coat and Captain Jack's Chula Ship With Captain Jack. is the only Series 4 item to appear in the Micro Universe range to date. No longer available due to the chains demise, this set looks set to become a collectors item.
Goodbye Woolworths
While we say goodbye to a national retailer, lets spare a thought for all the hard work they took on board in order to provide us with an amazing Doctor Who range for many years. A total of 23 Woolworths packed/exclusive figures made it onto their shelves, now never to be repeated or built upon!
Thank you Woolworths - it was fun while it lasted!
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