180129 History Talk 29th Jan 2018: The History of Woolworths and the extraordinary exploits of the Woolworth Family

Date: Monday 29th Jan 2018  10:30 (note new date)
Location: Salón de Actos, Espai la Senieta, Moraira (next to the large free car park)
Subject: Introduction to the History of Woolworths and the extraordinary Woolworth Family
Lecturer: John Hopwood

Frank Winfield Woolworth was the son of a farmer recently returned from the American Civil War and in 1879 at the age of twenty-one he founded the 5 & 10 cents stores which, according to the Guinness Book of Records, became the largest retail business and department store chain in the world with more than 4000 almost identical stores located in many countries.

With the profits he made he built the Woolworth Building in 1912, the tallest “skyscraper” in the world for more than eighteen years and still the 28th tallest in New York, and he paid for the entire cost of the construction – in cash!

It is also the story of members of the Woolworth family who inherited enormous wealth and their amazing lifestyles and profligate spending.

You would have to win the biggest ever Euromillions lottery prize (€190 million) at least ten times to compare with what they had.

They did not spend it wisely!

So, a mixture of great enterprise and endeavour followed by sex, drugs and the most extraordinary spending on lavish houses, amazing jewellery, fast cars and some very poor choices of husbands!

John will illustrate his talk with many extraordinary photographs from the past.