Wellworths, the store set up by former Woolworths store manager Claire Robertson, is being forced to change its name to Wellchester under an agreement with Woolworths brand owner Shop Direct.
Robertson opened the Wellworths store in a former Woolworths premises in Dorchester last March after the chain went bust. Initially, Shop Direct had agreed to allow the name Wellworths to be used but it then sought to get an agreement that would place limits on the growth of the business under that name. Wellworths has now decided to rebrand instead of accept these limits.
Details are yet to be finalised, but Wellworths is hoping to expand in the South and South West. Trading is strong and the business made a profit in its first year of trading.
The Wellchester brand will be introduced over the next two years. The branding is likely to be kept similar but the old strapline, “well worth the money” is being jettisoned. A replacement has not been announced yet.
The store sells a range of products that would have typically been found in a Woolworths, including toys, DVDs and pick’n’mix sweets. It also introduced some Wellworths branded items, including a range of mugs.
Mark Newton-Jones, Shop Direct group chief executive, said: “Protecting your brand is of paramount importance to every business and no less so to us with our Woolworths brand.”
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