Littlewoods
A British retail and football-pools brand founded in Liverpool in 1923, now retained primarily through The Very Group's Littlewoods online retail operation.
Last updated August 22, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Littlewoods was a British retail, mail-order and football-pools business founded by John Moores in Liverpool in 1923. Its earliest activity was football pools, a form of sports betting based on predicting football results. Although the business made a loss in its first season and Moores's original partners withdrew, he continued with support from his family and developed the pools operation into a substantial national enterprise. In 1932, Littlewoods expanded into mail-order retailing. Its first catalogue was distributed to football-pools subscribers, particularly women, who organized themselves into informal purchasing clubs. Members collected payments from relatives, friends and neighbours and distributed goods supplied by Littlewoods. This model enabled the company to reach households beyond the locations of its physical shops and became one of the foundations of its long-term retail business. Littlewoods opened its first high-street store in Blackpool in 1937 and subsequently developed a nationwide retail estate alongside its catalogue and pools operations. The company grew into one of Britain's largest family-controlled businesses. At its peak it employed approximately 25,000 people and operated a broad retail network, catalogue business and football-pools division. In 1982, it was described as the largest private company in Europe and was also regarded as the UK's largest family-owned firm at one point. Its retail offer covered general merchandise, clothing, household goods and consumer products, while its catalogue model allowed customers to pay for purchases over time. From the 1990s onward, Littlewoods faced pressure from specialist retailers, changing shopping habits, the spread of telephone ordering and the rise of internet commerce. The company also reduced its traditional store network. Its Merry Hill store, opened in 1989 as part of a major out-of-town retail development, was among the early outlets to close, in 1996. The launch of the UK National Lottery in 1994 created additional competition for the pools business, although Littlewoods mounted advertising intended to distinguish football pools from other forms of gambling. The Moores family sold the shopping and catalogue business to David and Frederick Barclay in October 2002. In 2004, Littlewoods was combined with Kays Catalogues to form the Littlewoods Shop Direct Group, the predecessor of The Very Group. The restructuring led to distribution-centre closures and a substantial reduction of Littlewoods's Liverpool operations. The Index catalogue and store business was closed in 2005 after prolonged losses, and the same year saw the announcement of 119 Littlewoods store closures. Some former sites were sold to Primark's parent company Associated British Foods, while standalone Index stores and other assets were also transferred or closed. The football-pools business had already been sold in 2000 to Rodime, a shell company partly owned by Bank of Scotland. That transaction included the Littlewoods pools operation, the online venture bet247.co.uk and the Bet Direct telephone betting business. The deal allowed use of the Littlewoods name for a further ten years. The original Littlewoods company, which employed about 4,000 people during its final winding-up phase, was wound up in 2005. The Littlewoods identity nevertheless survived as a consumer brand under The Very Group, particularly through Littlewoods.com. The former Littlewoods Ireland operation changed to the Very Ireland name in July 2022. A fire damaged the former Littlewoods Pools headquarters on 2 September 2018; the empty building had not been occupied since 2003. Littlewoods therefore represents both a historic British family business and a continuing retail brand whose modern presence is substantially narrower than the integrated retail-and-gambling organization built during the twentieth century.
History
Littlewoods began in Liverpool in 1923 when John Moores established a football-pools business. The first season was unsuccessful, and the withdrawal of his partners left Moores to continue the project with family support. The company eventually established a large customer base through football pools and became one of the world's biggest pools operators. The business entered mail-order retailing in 1932. Littlewoods initially marketed its catalogue to existing pools customers, many of whom formed local clubs that collected payments and distributed ordered goods. This arrangement created a large network of informal sales agents and allowed Littlewoods to extend its reach without relying exclusively on shops. The first Littlewoods high-street store opened in Blackpool in 1937. During the following decades, the company developed as an integrated retail and betting organization. It expanded its store estate, catalogue operations and football-pools activities, eventually employing about 25,000 people at its peak. In 1982, Littlewoods was identified as Europe's largest private company. Its family ownership and broad national reach made it one of Britain's most prominent privately controlled businesses. The retail model became increasingly challenged from the 1990s. Customers shifted toward specialist stores, telephone ordering and eventually online shopping. Littlewoods had participated in the movement of retail from traditional town centres to new developments and enterprise zones, including the opening of a large Merry Hill store on 14 November 1989. That store closed in 1996, reflecting the company's subsequent contraction of its physical estate. The football-pools division also encountered a changing market. The National Lottery began in 1994 and competed for consumers' gambling expenditure. Littlewoods responded with a substantial advertising campaign designed to present football pools as distinct from other betting products. The campaign helped the pools business in the short term, but the company later disposed of the division. In June 1961, long before that sale, Littlewoods had expanded its position through the acquisition of Sherman's Pools. In 2000, the Moores family sold the pools business to Rodime, a shell company partly owned by Bank of Scotland. The transaction included the online betting venture bet247.co.uk and the telephone betting operation Bet Direct, while the purchaser received permission to use the Littlewoods name for ten years. The Moores family sold the shopping and catalogue business to David and Frederick Barclay in October 2002 for £750 million. In 2004, Littlewoods was combined with Kays Catalogues to form the Littlewoods Shop Direct Group, subsequently known as The Very Group. The consolidation produced operational efficiencies but also resulted in the closure of several distribution centres, including Kays facilities in Worcester and Leeds, as well as reductions at Littlewoods's Liverpool sites. Index, the group's catalogue-based electrical and general merchandise business, closed in early 2005. It had reportedly failed to make a profit in 18 of its previous 20 years and was operating at a loss of £100 million. Its standalone stores were partly sold to Argos, and concessions inside Littlewoods shops were closed. A broader programme announced in 2005 involved the closure of 119 Littlewoods stores, with around 40 sites sold to Primark's parent Associated British Foods. The original company, which employed roughly 4,000 people during its final period, was wound up in 2005. The brand did not disappear entirely: The Very Group retained Littlewoods as the name of an online retail service, Littlewoods.com. The separate Irish operation was rebranded Very Ireland in July 2022. The physical legacy of the pools business also remained visible in its former headquarters, which stood empty from 2003 until being damaged by fire on 2 September 2018. Littlewoods's history thus spans football pools, catalogue retail, high-street stores and digital commerce, with the contemporary brand representing a surviving retail identity rather than the former diversified company.
- 2022
Irish operation adopts Very branding
[1]Littlewoods Ireland becomes Very Ireland.
- 2005
Original company is wound up
[1]The original Littlewoods company is wound up after major restructuring, while the brand continues in later retail use.
- 2004
Littlewoods merges with Kays Catalogues
[1]The businesses combine to form the Littlewoods Shop Direct Group, later renamed The Very Group.
- 2002
Retail and catalogue business is sold
[1]David and Frederick Barclay acquire the shopping and catalogue business from the Moores family.
- 2000
Football-pools division is sold
[1]The Moores family sells the pools business, including associated online and telephone betting operations, to Rodime.
- 1994
National Lottery competition prompts advertising response
[1]The launch of the National Lottery leads Littlewoods to promote football pools as a distinct form of betting.
- 1989
Merry Hill store opens
[1]A major Littlewoods store opens at Merry Hill on 14 November as part of the company's out-of-town retail strategy.
- 1982
Peak private-company scale
[1]Littlewoods is described as Europe's largest private company and remains one of the UK's largest family-owned businesses.
- 1961
Sherman's Pools is acquired
[1]Littlewoods expands its football-pools position by taking over Sherman's Pools.
- 1937
First high-street store opens
[1]Littlewoods opens its first physical retail shop in Blackpool.
Products and positioning
A mass-market British retail and consumer-finance brand historically built around catalogue shopping, accessible payment arrangements and football pools, with its surviving identity now associated mainly with online general merchandise retail.
Sports betting and pools · 1923
Littlewoods Football Pools
The original Littlewoods business was a football-pools operation based on predictions of football results. It grew into the company's largest and most internationally prominent activity and was once described as the world's biggest football-pools business. The division later faced competition from the National Lottery and other gambling products. It was sold in 2000 together with related online and telephone betting operations, although the Littlewoods name could continue to be used for a limited period under the sale agreement.
Mail-order retail · 1932
Littlewoods Catalogue
Introduced in 1932, the catalogue offered general merchandise to Littlewoods's existing pools customers and their local purchasing clubs. The catalogue model combined product distribution with instalment-style payment arrangements and helped the company reach customers throughout Britain. It was later supplemented and challenged by telephone ordering, internet commerce and the group's broader online retail services.
General merchandise retail · 1937
Littlewoods High-Street Stores
Littlewoods developed a nationwide chain of stores selling clothing, household goods and general merchandise after opening its first shop in Blackpool in 1937. The chain included large out-of-town locations such as Merry Hill, but increasing competition and changing shopping behaviour led to a long period of closures. A major store-reduction programme in 2005 ended much of the historic physical retail network.
Catalogue and electrical retail
Index
Index was a Littlewoods-related catalogue and store business focused on electrical and general merchandise. It experienced prolonged financial difficulties, reportedly failing to make a profit in 18 of 20 years before its closure in 2005. Its standalone stores were partly sold to Argos and its concessions within Littlewoods stores were shut.
Online general merchandise retail
Littlewoods.com
Littlewoods.com is the surviving online retail expression of the brand under The Very Group. It carries forward the Littlewoods name in digital general merchandise retail after the winding-up of the original company and the closure of most of its historic high-street stores.
Marketing campaigns
- 1994Football pools differentiation campaign
United Kingdom
Following the launch of the National Lottery, Littlewoods ran a major advertising effort to distinguish football pools from other forms of betting and to reinforce the established pools proposition.
Outcome. The campaign was reported to have produced a successful short-term response, although the pools division was later sold.
Brand decisions
2005
Large-scale retail estate reductionStrategyBackground
The company faced sustained pressure from changing shopping habits, internet commerce and losses in parts of its store and catalogue portfolio.
Action taken
Littlewoods closed Index, announced the closure of 119 Littlewoods stores and sold or closed related concessions and standalone locations.
Aftermath
Around 40 stores were sold to Associated British Foods, while the original Littlewoods company was wound up. The brand survived through later online retail use.
2004
Combination with Kays CataloguesM&ABackground
The owners sought to consolidate catalogue-retailing operations and respond to structural changes in the sector.
Action taken
Littlewoods and Kays Catalogues were combined to create the Littlewoods Shop Direct Group.
Aftermath
The integration involved distribution-centre closures and reductions in Littlewoods's Liverpool operations. The group later became The Very Group.
2002
Sale of shopping and catalogue operationsM&ABackground
Littlewoods's retail and catalogue activities faced increased competition from other retailers and the emerging internet channel.
Action taken
The Moores family sold the shopping and catalogue business to David and Frederick Barclay.
Aftermath
The retail business subsequently became part of the Littlewoods Shop Direct Group and ultimately The Very Group.
Transaction value. £750 million (October 2002)
2000
Sale of the football-pools businessM&ABackground
The Moores family separated the historic gambling operation from the retail and catalogue activities as the pools market faced changing consumer competition.
Action taken
The pools business was sold to Rodime, a shell company partly owned by Bank of Scotland. The transaction included bet247.co.uk and Bet Direct and allowed the Littlewoods name to be used for ten additional years.
Aftermath
Littlewoods ceased to control its original football-pools operation, while the retail business continued under separate ownership.
Transaction value. £160 million (2000)
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/littlewoods · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled