Alworths picks up from Woolworths

A new retail chain has opened in Scotland to fill the gap in the high street left vacant by the collapse of Woolworths.

Alworths, which already has seven stores in England, has opened its first Scottish shop in Cupar.

Most of the management of the chain and many of the staff in the shops are former Woolworths employees who lost their jobs when it went bust.

The company has plans to open a further nine stores in Scotland.

Alworths sells the same mix of confectionary, homeware, entertainment products and seasonal goods which were once available from Woolies.

Andy Latham, who worked for Woolworths for 25 years, is behind the new chain.

He said: "We strongly believe that there is still a desire for traditional high street shopping and our aim is to offer customers the products that they have been missing on their local high streets."

Woolworths went into administration at the end of 2008.

Its 815 stores were closed and about 30,000 staff were made redundant.