Big W
| File:BIGW Logo.png | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 186 |
Key people |
|
| Products | Womenswear, Menswear, Kidswear, Footwear, Underwear & Sleepwear, Home, Leisure, Books, Toys & Sporting, Electronics , Optometry, Gardening, Pets, Party |
| Revenue |  A$4.11 billion (2015)[1] |
 A$114 million (2015)[1] | |
Number of employees | 22,000+ |
| Parent | Woolworths Limited |
| Website | bigw |
BIG W is a leading Australian chain of discount department stores, which was founded in regional New South Wales in 1964. The company is a division of Woolworths Limited and currently operates 186 stores, with about 22,000 employees across Australia and Asia.
History
BIG W is the first Australian born and bred discount department store to operate across the country. It specialises in general merchandise, with its product range spreading across womens, mens and children's wear, toys, books, electronics, optometry, homewares, sporting goods and activewear and pets. BIG W employs about 20,000 workers across its Australia and Asia-based businesses, with the majority of staff on the frontline assisting customers in stores. BIG W is Australia's biggest book seller.
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. The BIG W chain grew out of Woolworths Limited's original Variety stores, which carried a small range of general merchandise products. BIG W's name reflects the complementary, big sister-style relationship it has with Woolworths Supermarkets.
The first BIG W stand-alone store opened on 7 October 1964 at Jesmond[2] on the outskirts of Newcastle. On opening day, BIG W promised to deliver “the cream of the range” of products to the local community. At 24,500 square feet, the double-storey Jesmond store represented a new style of shopping for local consumers, one in which they could buy a large proportion of their household products in one shop close to home.
A large crowd gathered at BIG W Jesmond on opening day and the store's doors had to be closed until lunchtime to quell the unprecedented number of shoppers from crowding the store.
By 1966, six BIG W stores were up and running. Kotara was the second BIG W store to open its doors in 1965 and by 1969 every state in Australia had a BIG W store.[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 1990s (such as the one in Rundle Mall, Adelaide).[citation needed]
Since it first opened its doors, BIG W has been regarded a backstop for Australian households. Its wide range of products, low prices and quality customer service means it has been a staple shopping location for Australian families since the 1960s.
Stores
In 2015, there were 186 BIG W stores trading across Australia: 63 in New South Wales, 46 in Queensland, 34 in Victoria, 17 in Western Australia, 17 in South Australia, 5 in the Australian Capital Territory, 3 in Tasmania and 1 trading in the Northern Territory.[4]
Services
In 2007, BIG W began trialing the provision of optometry services in South Australia and since then, these services have been added to selected stores in Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.[5] BIG W pioneered the Australian use of self-serve 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.[citation needed]
August 2014 saw BIG W launch its first Party Store at their Rouse Hill store, and its second Party store at the newly refurbished Macquarie Centre in North Ryde, NSW. There are currently 134 BIG W Party Stores making BIG W the leading Party retailer in Australia. [6]
BIG W is the leading and largest physical (bricks and mortar) retailer of books and toys in Australia. The chain is also revered for its customer service skills, with high priority training being given to ensure that every customer walks out happy.
References
- ^ a b Sales report. "Full Year Results - Financial Year 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- ^ "First BIG W Discount Department Store opens".
- ^ "Big W Case Study - Streamline Catalogue Production" (PDF).
- ^ "BIG W Store Locator".
- ^ Big W Vision - Optical Locations
- ^ "Big W Party Store".
External links
- Video clips