William Low
Encyclopedia
William Low was a chain of supermarket
s based in Dundee
, Scotland
, until it was bought out by Tesco
for £257m in 1994.
As a group it was smaller than most of its competitors and often served small towns, although it still had several large stores, including two in Dundee, and two in Perth. Most towns in the Tayside region had at least one large William Low store and it had branches throughout Scotland and North East England
. Tesco had to compete with a rival takeover bid from competitor J Sainsbury
for the chain and, following the takeover, 57 of the William Low stores were converted to the Tesco fascia. Prior to this, there were only around 17 Tesco
stores in Scotland
.
At one stage, the company also ran a chain of frozen food stores known as Lowfreeze. Lowfreeze was sold in 1987 to Bejam
, with Bejam being sold to rival Iceland in 1989.
. In 1985, however, Wm Low was successful in the takeover of Laws Stores at a cost of £7.1 million., a group predominantly based in the North East of England with a portfolio of smaller stores than Wm Low. Wm Low proceeded to close unprofitable Laws stores in 1986.
In 1989. Wm Low attempted to take over Budgens, a move described by Budgens as a friendly merger and had looked to be a done deal. This deal ultimately collapsed.
Also in 1989, James Millar of Wm Low approached John Apthorp, owner of Bejam
Freezer Centres to explore the possibility of merging the 2 brands. But John Apthorp explains that he could not see the idea going ahead as Wm Low were losing market share and the store portfolio did not lend itself well to the possibility of conversions to freezer centre formats. This was a twist as earlier in 1987, Wm Low had sold its frozen food chain, Lowfreeze, to Bejam for £3.8 Million
Expansion into the north of England was a priority, with the £12 million, 30000 sq ft (2,787.1 m²) Loughborough
store opening in 1993. Amid huge publicity for price cuts on over 500 items, customers took their sleeping bags to await the opening of the store and claim their hamper
, champagne and flowers. This was the company's foray into direct competition with Sainsbury.
The Scottish Market Leader at the time, The Argyll Group - Safeway
- announced in July 1994 that it would not be making a bid for Wm Low. Sainsbury was keen to gain a stronger foothold in Scotland, having only 3 stores in Scotland at the time of the bid. Tesco reacted with an improved offer of £247 million and Sainsbury's withdrew from the battle.
Tesco formally took over Wm Low on 2 September 1994 for a total sum of £257 million. Analysis at the time suggested that the Sainsbury bid was possibly a spoiler tactic as opposed to a serious takeover attempt.
The company had been independent for 126 years, having been founded in 1868. The purchase of Wm Low doubled Tesco's Scottish market share from 7.6% to 15.3% in 1995.
reversed to a growth of 20% by February 1996 and the former Wm Low stores contributed £11 million profit to the Tesco group.
Tesco quotes pre-tax profits prior to the takeover as being £17m in 1993 and £15m in 1994. The Scottish Business Insider quotes similar yearly figures:
Staff numbers prior to the takeover had been reasonably static, from 8799 employees in 1991 to 8981 in 1994.
scanning tills were installed at every store by August 1995, with the refit being completed by the end of 1996 at a cost of £35 million.
Although the vast majority of old Wm Low stores have now been replaced with all-new Tesco
stores, some branches retaining some Wm Low format fixtures (e.g. Open Grid false Ceilings and Blue / Pink Tiling in Toilets). This is evident in stores such as Inverness Metro, Campbeltown, Fort Willam, Helensburgh, St Andrews, Dalgety Bay, Rosyth, Monifeith and Haddington. This is despite all of the store having undergone a couple of internal refits since the takeover. Tesco Banff is the last obvious Wm Low style store left in the portfolio, having not undergone any refit since immediately after the takeover in 1996. This store is due to be replaced by a new purpose built store in 2010. Dundee Lochee which was the last large Wm Low superstore closed on 7 February 2009, being replaced by Dundee South Rd which is now Scotland's largest Tesco store, spread out over 3 floors. Wishaw
Tesco moved to a Purpose built store in November 2007 across from its original Wm Low store.
, St Andrews
, Campbeltown
, Monifieth
, Inverness
, Fort William and Helensburgh to name but a few.
, Wm Low Blairgowrie
became M & Co whilst Wm Low Elgin
became TK Maxx. WM Low Keith became The Original Factory Shop, Wm Low Forres
remains empty to this day. Wm Low Bathgate
became B Wise, which then became Qs which has since closed down. The site is currently derelict. WM Low Dundee Lochee Site remains on the market since the store was closed and business relocated to Dundee South Road.
Wm Low in Perth (Victoria St branch) lay empty for almost a decade before half of the premises being refitted and operated as a Matalan Store and the other half (what used to be the supermarket warehouse) now a store selling floor coverings and livingroom furniture.
In 2007, the former WM Low store in Forfar
closed, with Tesco moving to a new site at the northern end of the town centre. The old site was subsequently sold to Focus DIY, whose store opened there in early 2008. The site has a garden centre, built on part of the old car park, and very little exists to suggest it was a former supermarket.
The former WM Low store in Goole
, East Yorkshire
, was taken over by Tesco
, but this was relocated to a larger site on Boothferry Road in the late 1990s. The store was split into four units and is now home to a branch of Lidl
and Farmfoods
with the other two units being empty.
was closed in March 1995. The head office and Distribution Centre at the Dryburgh Estate in Dundee became the Tesco Customer Service Centre and one of two Scottish Distribution Depots for Tesco.
Wm Low Dryburgh Distribution Centre was built in the mid 1970's by Wm Low with an expected 25 years life span. In 2006, Tesco announced the closure of the Dundee depot to create a brand new centre in Livingston on the site of the former NEC which would also replace the current distribution centre already based in Livingston ( now open as of October 2007 ). The customer service centre is unaffected by the closure. Residents of Dundee have reacted furiously to the news of the depot closure.
In 1999, Tesco agreed to swap the Carnoustie, Dunbar and Kirriemuir stores with Lothian Borders & Angus Co-operative Society to gain a larger superstore in Galasheils.
that had not been processed properly (and was infected with typhoid). Due to the fact that the meat was sliced using a communal deli slicer, approximately 500 people were diagnosed in Aberdeen in 1964 with suspected typhoid. William Low was never successful in the city again with their store closing in the city only 3 years later.
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s based in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, until it was bought out by Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
for £257m in 1994.
As a group it was smaller than most of its competitors and often served small towns, although it still had several large stores, including two in Dundee, and two in Perth. Most towns in the Tayside region had at least one large William Low store and it had branches throughout Scotland and North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. Tesco had to compete with a rival takeover bid from competitor J Sainsbury
J Sainsbury
J. Sainsbury plc is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd, commonly known as Sainsbury's, the third largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom with a share of the UK supermarket sector of 16.5%....
for the chain and, following the takeover, 57 of the William Low stores were converted to the Tesco fascia. Prior to this, there were only around 17 Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
stores in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
At one stage, the company also ran a chain of frozen food stores known as Lowfreeze. Lowfreeze was sold in 1987 to Bejam
Bejam
Bejam was a British frozen food retailer which was founded by John Apthorp in 1968, based in Stanmore. The concept of selling only frozen foods was a novel idea at the time, and Bejam grew out of Apthorp's existing family business of E. A. D. Apthorp, who were potato merchants specialising in local...
, with Bejam being sold to rival Iceland in 1989.
Early years
The Company was founded by James Low and William Rettie in 1868. James's brother, William, joined the shop in 1870, taking over the business some years later.1976-1984 Expansion
Wm Low almost doubled in size between 1976 to 1984 with sustained expansion and increased store sizes. In 1976, Wm Low had a total of 205000 sq ft (19,045.1 m²) of floor space which by 1984 had become 446000 sq ft (41,434.8 m²). Wm Low also rose to be included as number 400 in the Times 1000, A list of top UK Companies in 1984, whereas in 1976 it was not even listed.Takeovers and Mergers
In 1984, Wm Low attempted but failed to take over Hintons, which later becoame part of SafewaySafeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
. In 1985, however, Wm Low was successful in the takeover of Laws Stores at a cost of £7.1 million., a group predominantly based in the North East of England with a portfolio of smaller stores than Wm Low. Wm Low proceeded to close unprofitable Laws stores in 1986.
In 1989. Wm Low attempted to take over Budgens, a move described by Budgens as a friendly merger and had looked to be a done deal. This deal ultimately collapsed.
Also in 1989, James Millar of Wm Low approached John Apthorp, owner of Bejam
Bejam
Bejam was a British frozen food retailer which was founded by John Apthorp in 1968, based in Stanmore. The concept of selling only frozen foods was a novel idea at the time, and Bejam grew out of Apthorp's existing family business of E. A. D. Apthorp, who were potato merchants specialising in local...
Freezer Centres to explore the possibility of merging the 2 brands. But John Apthorp explains that he could not see the idea going ahead as Wm Low were losing market share and the store portfolio did not lend itself well to the possibility of conversions to freezer centre formats. This was a twist as earlier in 1987, Wm Low had sold its frozen food chain, Lowfreeze, to Bejam for £3.8 Million
1993-1994 Expansion
It was Wm Low's aim to achieve a total of 61 Stores and 959000 sq ft (89,094 m²) of sales area by the end of the 1994 financial year.Expansion into the north of England was a priority, with the £12 million, 30000 sq ft (2,787.1 m²) Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
store opening in 1993. Amid huge publicity for price cuts on over 500 items, customers took their sleeping bags to await the opening of the store and claim their hamper
Hamper
A hamper is a primarily British term for a wicker basket, usually large, that is used for the transport of items, often food.In North America, the term generally refers to a household receptacle for clean or dirty clothing, regardless of its composition, i.e...
, champagne and flowers. This was the company's foray into direct competition with Sainsbury.
Market Share
Wm Low was one of the market leaders in Scotland in terms of market share, which was 7.4% in 1981, rising to 10.4% in 1984 and then 12.7% in 1986. It then started to fall until the 1994 takeover by Tesco.Competing bids
The takeover battle for William Low started on 14 July 1994, when Tesco announced its formal bid of £156 million for the company to dramatically improve its Scottish portfolio and an assurance it would not cherry pick the best stores. J Sainsbury launched a counter-bid of £210 million but this would have led to a break up of the Wm Low portfolio as they had intended to maintain the best stores and dispose of the rest.The Scottish Market Leader at the time, The Argyll Group - Safeway
Safeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
- announced in July 1994 that it would not be making a bid for Wm Low. Sainsbury was keen to gain a stronger foothold in Scotland, having only 3 stores in Scotland at the time of the bid. Tesco reacted with an improved offer of £247 million and Sainsbury's withdrew from the battle.
Tesco formally took over Wm Low on 2 September 1994 for a total sum of £257 million. Analysis at the time suggested that the Sainsbury bid was possibly a spoiler tactic as opposed to a serious takeover attempt.
The company had been independent for 126 years, having been founded in 1868. The purchase of Wm Low doubled Tesco's Scottish market share from 7.6% to 15.3% in 1995.
Financial performance: Before and after
James Millar, chairman of Wm Low at the time of the takeover, said that the company was "Not doing badly but could not compete with the big names". Prior to the take over, sales had been falling at a rate of 6%, a figure that TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
reversed to a growth of 20% by February 1996 and the former Wm Low stores contributed £11 million profit to the Tesco group.
Tesco quotes pre-tax profits prior to the takeover as being £17m in 1993 and £15m in 1994. The Scottish Business Insider quotes similar yearly figures:
- 1991: £354 million turnover, £21 million profit
- 1992: £394 million turnover, £23 million profit
- 1993: £253 million turnover, £20 million profit
- 1994: £446 million turnover, £21 million profit
Staff numbers prior to the takeover had been reasonably static, from 8799 employees in 1991 to 8981 in 1994.
Conversion to Tesco-formatted stores
A re-fit programme followed and TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
scanning tills were installed at every store by August 1995, with the refit being completed by the end of 1996 at a cost of £35 million.
Although the vast majority of old Wm Low stores have now been replaced with all-new Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
stores, some branches retaining some Wm Low format fixtures (e.g. Open Grid false Ceilings and Blue / Pink Tiling in Toilets). This is evident in stores such as Inverness Metro, Campbeltown, Fort Willam, Helensburgh, St Andrews, Dalgety Bay, Rosyth, Monifeith and Haddington. This is despite all of the store having undergone a couple of internal refits since the takeover. Tesco Banff is the last obvious Wm Low style store left in the portfolio, having not undergone any refit since immediately after the takeover in 1996. This store is due to be replaced by a new purpose built store in 2010. Dundee Lochee which was the last large Wm Low superstore closed on 7 February 2009, being replaced by Dundee South Rd which is now Scotland's largest Tesco store, spread out over 3 floors. Wishaw
Wishaw
Wishaw is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the edge of the Clyde Valley, 15 miles south-east of Glasgow....
Tesco moved to a Purpose built store in November 2007 across from its original Wm Low store.
Remaining stores
Most of the remaining Wm Low stores have been converted to the Tesco "Metro" format, in line with their smaller size. Such stores can be found in GrangemouthGrangemouth
Grangemouth is a town and former burgh in the council area of Falkirk, Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk, west of Bo'ness and south-east of Stirling. Grangemouth had a resident population of 17,906 according to the 2001...
, St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, Campbeltown
Campbeltown
Campbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Originally known as Kinlochkilkerran , it was renamed in the 17th century as Campbell's Town after Archibald Campbell was granted the site in 1667...
, Monifieth
Monifieth
Monifieth is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is situated on the North bank of the Firth of Tay on the East Coast...
, Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, Fort William and Helensburgh to name but a few.
Planned Wm Low Store Expansion
At the time of the Tesco take over, a number of new Wm Low Stores were earmarked for development. These were ultimately launched as Tesco's but had been planned by Wm Low. This included Aviemore, Cupar, Falkirk and Dunblane, opened between 1995 and 1996.Redundant stores
Some of the now redundant sites have gone on to find new owners after Tesco relocated in nearby areas. The former Wm Low Dingwall has now become a LidlLidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
, Wm Low Blairgowrie
Blairgowrie and Rattray
Blairgowrie and Rattray and Raitear is possibly from an English language cognate of Gaelic ràth, meaning fortress + a Pictish term cognate with Welsh tref, meaning settlement) is a twin burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Amongst locals, the town is colloquially known simply as "Blair"...
became M & Co whilst Wm Low Elgin
Elgin, Moray
Elgin is a former cathedral city and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
became TK Maxx. WM Low Keith became The Original Factory Shop, Wm Low Forres
Forres
Forres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
remains empty to this day. Wm Low Bathgate
Bathgate
Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway west of Livingston. Nearby towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Whitburn, Livingston, and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is away...
became B Wise, which then became Qs which has since closed down. The site is currently derelict. WM Low Dundee Lochee Site remains on the market since the store was closed and business relocated to Dundee South Road.
Wm Low in Perth (Victoria St branch) lay empty for almost a decade before half of the premises being refitted and operated as a Matalan Store and the other half (what used to be the supermarket warehouse) now a store selling floor coverings and livingroom furniture.
In 2007, the former WM Low store in Forfar
Forfar
Forfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...
closed, with Tesco moving to a new site at the northern end of the town centre. The old site was subsequently sold to Focus DIY, whose store opened there in early 2008. The site has a garden centre, built on part of the old car park, and very little exists to suggest it was a former supermarket.
The former WM Low store in Goole
Goole
Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire could be:*East Yorkshire Motor Services*An alternative name for the East Riding of Yorkshire*East Yorkshire , a former district of Humberside*East Yorkshire...
, was taken over by Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, but this was relocated to a larger site on Boothferry Road in the late 1990s. The store was split into four units and is now home to a branch of Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
and Farmfoods
Farmfoods
Farmfoods is a Scottish supermarket chain operating throughout the United Kingdom. Farmfoods predominately sells frozen food and also grocery items.- History :...
with the other two units being empty.
Distribution Centres
The Wm Low warehouse in GatesheadGateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
was closed in March 1995. The head office and Distribution Centre at the Dryburgh Estate in Dundee became the Tesco Customer Service Centre and one of two Scottish Distribution Depots for Tesco.
Wm Low Dryburgh Distribution Centre was built in the mid 1970's by Wm Low with an expected 25 years life span. In 2006, Tesco announced the closure of the Dundee depot to create a brand new centre in Livingston on the site of the former NEC which would also replace the current distribution centre already based in Livingston ( now open as of October 2007 ). The customer service centre is unaffected by the closure. Residents of Dundee have reacted furiously to the news of the depot closure.
Store portfolio
The following is a list of Wm Low stores in existence immediately prior to the takeover by Tesco.Scotland
Banff, Bathgate, Blairgowrie, Bo'ness, Campbeltown, Carnoustie, Coatbridge, Craigmarloch, Crieff, Cumbernauld, Dalgety Bay, Dalkeith, Dingwall, Dumfries, Dunbar, Dundee (two), Dunfermline, Edinburgh (two), Elgin, Forfar, Forres, Fort William, Galloway, Govan (Paisley Road West), Grangemouth, Greenock, Haddington, Helensburgh, Inverness, Inverurie, Keith, Kilmarnock, Kirkcaldy, Kirkintilloch, Kirriemuir, Lanark, Linlithgow, Milngavie, Monifieth, Montrose, Oban, Perth (two; one on Victoria Street in the city centre and one on the Crieff Road), Rosyth, St Andrews, Stranraer, and Wishaw.In 1999, Tesco agreed to swap the Carnoustie, Dunbar and Kirriemuir stores with Lothian Borders & Angus Co-operative Society to gain a larger superstore in Galasheils.
England
Consett, Driffield, Gateshead (Rowlands Gill), Goole, Ilkeston, Jesmond, Loughborough, Northallerton, Sleaford, Thirsk, Whitehaven, Workington.Typhoid outbreak
On 6 and 7 May 1964, the Aberdeen branch delicatessen used a tin of Argentinian corned beefCorned beef
Corned beef is a type of salt-cured beef products present in many beef-eating cultures. The English term is used interchangeably in modernity to refer to three distinct types of cured beef:...
that had not been processed properly (and was infected with typhoid). Due to the fact that the meat was sliced using a communal deli slicer, approximately 500 people were diagnosed in Aberdeen in 1964 with suspected typhoid. William Low was never successful in the city again with their store closing in the city only 3 years later.
External links
- I Used To Work For Wm Low a Facebook group dedicated to former William Low employees
- History Scotland article by Lesley Diack and David Smith; discusses the Aberdeen Typhoid Outbreak of 1964, more about the case and William Low's involvement