ONE FOURTH OF WOOLWORTH'S STORES IN BRITAIN HAVE SHUT THEIR DOORS FOR GOOD

The remainder of the 200 stores are to close within about a week unless a last-minute buyer surfaces for the failed retailer.About 27,000 people are expected to lose their jobs.

The company's debt-ridden predicament is a far cry from the clamour that greeted the first British store, which open in Liverpool, northern England, in 1909 under the FW Woolworth's brand-a subsidiary of the US company.The original US parent stores closed in 1997.Woolworths Australia is a thriving unrelated business-the largest supermarket chain in Australia and a major employer.