Big W(stylised asBIG W) is an Australian chain ofdiscount department stores,which was founded in regionalNew South Walesin 1964. The company is a division of theWoolworths Groupand as of 2024 operated 179 stores,[1]with around 18,000 employees across mainlandAustraliaandTasmania.Big W stocks clothing, health and beauty, manchester, kitchenware, toys, pet items, office items, books, televisions, gaming consoles, video games, some furniture items, snack food and small electrical household appliances both on their website and in retail stores.
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 BIG W store located inside ofWestfield SouthlandinCheltenham, Victoria | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 179 (2024) |
Key people | Dan Hake (Managing Director) |
| Revenue |  A$4.79 billion(2023)[1] |
 A$145 million(2023)[1] | |
| Owner | Woolworths Group |
Number of employees | Over 18,000 |
| Website | bigw |
History
editThe first Big W store opened in 1964 at theJesmondshopping centre inNewcastle.[2][3]The original stores were full linedepartment storessimilar to aMyerandDavid Jones.[2]At that time Woolworths still operated several hundred Woolworths Variety stores, which were the original Woolworths stores and carried a small range of general merchandise products.
In 1970 the Big W name ceased to be used and the stores were converted to what were then known as Woolworths Family Centres that had "a very large range of general merchandise as well as a supermarket food range".[2]These stores were ultimately converted to supermarkets in the 1980s.
The Big W name was resurrected with a new store inTamworthin 1976, which was the first Big W discount department store to open, with the successful discount department store format that continues today.[2]
Woolworths Limited developed the Big W brand to provide Australian shoppers with a broad range of general merchandise products in a dedicated one-stop-shop. Big W's name reflects the complementary relationship it has withWoolworths Supermarketsand the W stands for Woolworths.[3]
The separation of Big W and Woolworths supermarkets was largely completed by 1989, although a few Woolworths Variety stores continued to operate into the 90s (such as the one inRundle Mall,Adelaide).
In 2012, Big W sponsored the then-current remake ofThe Price is Right.
In August 2022, Big W opened its first small format store inTown Hall, Sydney.
In November 2023, the company launched Big W Market, an online marketplace for third-party businesses to sell their products.[4]
Services
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Ever since its modern format stores in 1976, Big W stores featuredgarden centressimilar toKmartandTarget.These facilities continued to be added throughout its store portfolio throughout the 1980s and early 2000s until they started being added to only a select few stores in the mid-late 2000s, until being retired completely in the late 2010s. Around 2023, Big W began phasing out its garden centres entirely, citing poor sales on live plants. Stores still stock a range of gardening equipment and products such as seeds, fertiliser, herbicides etc.
Big W were the second company in Australia to useself-checkouts,which were introduced in 2003 on a trial basis in two of Sydney's major stores and began expanding throughout Australia in late 2005.
In August 2014, Big W launched its first party store atRouse Hill Town Centrein New South Wales and its second at the newly refurbishedMacquarie Centre,also in New South Wales. There are currently 176 stores across Australia.[5][6]
In 2022, Big W started phasing out its in-store photo printing service citing declining demand and a growth in online photo ordering.[citation needed]
Former services
editIn 2007, Big W began triallingoptometryservices inSouth Australiaand since then, these services had been added to selected stores inQueensland,Victoria,New South Wales,Tasmaniaand theAustralian Capital Territory.[7]In May 2019, Big W announced the closure of all 41 Big W Optometry stores, along with 175 job losses. This would not affect the Big W store that housed the optometry department, and that the last optometry sessions could be held in late July. As of August 2019, all optometry stores have closed, leaving separate stores to be leased or stores within the Big W store to be used as space for another department.
See also
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References
edit- ^abc"2023 Annual Report"(PDF).Woolworths Group.August 2023.Retrieved15 November2023.
- ^abcdWolski, Gilllian (17 November 2020)."Big W reveals major twist in brand's 50-year history".Yahoo Lifestyle.Retrieved8 May2022.
- ^abSkantzos, Kathy (19 November 2020)."What the 'W' in Big W stands for".news.au.Retrieved8 May2022.
- ^Vidler, Adam (15 November 2023)."Big W's new bid to snare online shoppers".9news.au.Retrieved31 August2024.
- ^"Party Stores".BIG W.
- ^"Store Finder".BIG W.Retrieved24 October2021.
- ^"BIG W Vision - Optical Locations".Archived fromthe originalon 10 March 2010.Retrieved21 December2009.
External links
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