IT IS 2pm on a Wednesday in Stockbridge, the well-to-do residential enclave of Edinburgh.
Nestled between the organic delicatessen and the charity bookshop is a sizeable branch of Woolworths in which only four shoppers browse childrenswear and cheap DVDs, while a lone sales clerk mans a deserted checkout.
To the accompaniment of this sorry scene is an energetic soundtrack of ear-splitting dance music of the sort favoured by boy racers.

This may be one of the reasons why Woolworths - a feature of the British high street for almost a century - yesterday announced a 60 per cent drop in profits.
The odds-and-ends store, famous for its bargain CDs, pick-and-mix sweets and Ladybird childrens' clothing range, ran up losses of £12.9 million in its 800 UK stores last year.

Dorothy Cuthbert, 68, visiting the Stockbridge store to pick up some gardening supplies, said she no longer understands what the shop is trying to achieve.
"They are trying to do everything, without succeeding in anything," she said.
"I only pop in when I see they have occasional bargains.

"
Sarah Fidelo, 39, said: "I think the quality is probably reasonable, but mainly it just saves me having to go into town."
Experts were similarly pessimistic yesterday. Richard Perks, a senior European retail analyst at Mintel, said: "The problem with Woolworths is that they don't know what to sell.

They don't have a logical offering and their stock doesn't hang together."
Paul Freathy, a professor in retail management at the Institute for Retail Studies, Stirling University, said the future lay with a different strategy altogether. "Almost everything you can buy in a Woolworths can be bought elsewhere.

"They have been squeezed by supermarkets and online entertainment retailers and if they are to succeed, they need to expand into alternative channels.
"Growth on the high street is limited, so they should change from being a bricks retailer to a clicks retailer."
Overall, Woolworths made pre-tax profits of £21.

8 million - down from £57.7 million the previous year - rescued in part by the strong performance of its wholesaling and publishing business.
The chain's online store, which allows customers to choose from more than 260,000 products, also enjoyed increased sales of £77.

1 million.
Trevor Bish-Jones, the chief executive, said the main underperformers were entertainment and confectionery - two of the firm's most recognised ranges. He said: "The environment ahead is going to be fairly challenging and we are going to look to control costs.

like we did last year."
KNOWN to millions as "Woollies", Woolworths was founded in the UK in 1909 as a subsidiary of the US-based FW Woolworth Company.
The first store opened in Liverpool.

By 1950, the company had 762 stores, at least one in every major town and city in Britain. It now has 818 outlets.
The original company was founded by Frank Woolworth, pictured, who put the early success of the business down to "making sure that everyone - rich or poor - is welcomed in and treated with the same respect".

Woolies has sold sweets since its first day in the UK, when the entire stock was bought up by people wooed by the formula now known as pick 'n' mix.
Perhaps Woolworths UK could learn some good management techniques from their Woolworths compatriots in Australia, where they are one of the most successful companies in any field. Maybe Woolworths UK could benefit from getting some senior staff from Woolworths Australia to inject a new sense of direction and get them back on track.

I have been in Australia for nearly 10 years now, and when I compare the two, the difference between the two sets of companies, is like and day and night.
you can't move in our local woolies on any Saturday..

..so they must be doing something right.

It's just had a revamp and the layout is much better but the cd/dvd range is disappointing, I don't think they can compete with online companies there.
It used to be Comely Bank which was the well todo residential enclave.Stockbridge was one side of Dean Park St.

Bedford St. Chain St. ect.

Whilst the most sulubrious of all was Anne St.Have things changed?