Woolies cuts back on the sweets

MOVE over pick 'n' mix and make way for children's furniture. Trevor Bish-Jones, the man charged with turning around the fortunes of the sprawling Woolworths chain, is about to usher in a small revolution.

Bish-Jones, 42, was recruited from Dixons to become chief executive at the 800-strong High Street store that for so long has promised so much but delivered little. On Wednesday he will clock up his first six months in the job.

And as the company heads into the crucial pre-Christmas period when it earns all its profits for the entire year, watch out for big changes in your local branch of Woolies.

In particular, watch out for the arrival of far more merchandise aimed at children - even if that means that Woolworths, Britain's largest confectionery retailer, has to trim back on its pick 'n' mix.

Until now, Woolworths stores have had a rigid layout, with areas devoted to each of the chain's five main areas of merchandise - entertainment, including music, videos and DVDs; toys and stationery; clothing; confectionery; and 'home' which embraces hardware from screwdrivers and lightbulbs to crockery and cutlery.

Only a small area of each store has been available for seasonal merchandise or to reflect the particular needs of that outlet's catchment area.

But Bish-Jones is planning a major overhaul of the way Woolworths outlets are divided. 'We're well-known for children's clothes,' he said last week after unveiling first-half results. 'But why couldn't we also do things for kids' bedrooms like curtains, lighting, storage and flat-pack furniture?

'If you have a little princess, she should be able to turn her bedroom into a princess's palace.'

Extra space for children's goods has to come from somewhere, of course, and Bish-Jones hints that at least some of it is likely to come from sweets: the store could still keep what he calls in retailer-speak 'authority' in confectionery while giving up some of the shelf space devoted to it.

Six months into the job, Bish-Jones is eager to play up Woolworths strengths rather than dwell on its weaknesses. 'I am someone who always sees the glass as half-full rather than half-empty,' he says.

'On a quiet week, we put £40m through the tills. There is a warmth and affection for the brand that is deeply felt.'

And since Woolworths' messy demerger from Kingfisher last year, it is now in charge of its own destiny. Without doubt, the demerger caused disruption. There was instability in top management.

Until the last moment, it was unclear whether Kingfisher would sell Superdrug or bundle it up with Woolworths for demerger. And in the months since Woolworths started life on its own, trading has been, to put it kindly, erratic.

'When I arrived here, there didn't seem to be any intensity and passion about what we were trying to do,' said Bish-Jones. 'That has changed. We are showing that we can really trade this business and make a difference.'