The Woolworths.co.uk team has fired off its first email to those shoppers who have joined its mailing list. It doesn’t give much away, apart from emphasising how optimistic and excited they are about the new venture, which launches in the summer. It’ll be interesting to see how this one pans out. Will the optimism and excitement be justified (in Shop Direct Group, it certainly has good people onboard)? Or will it be a case of too little too late? They are, after all, launching into a hugely competitive market.

Here’s that email in full:

Greetings from woolworths.co.uk

All we can say is wow! So far, more than 200,000 of you have taken the trouble to visit us at woolworths.co.uk. We have been delighted by your interest in our plans for the new Woolworths and we have had some fantastic suggestions for new products and what old favourites we should keep. We’ve taken a few days to get back to you as we are currently going through every comment we have received to make sure we capture all your views. Your ideas and suggestions will be important in helping us to create a Woolworths that is right for you and all Woolworths’ customers, past, present and future.

There is a real sense of excitement amongst the team here and we can tell from your emails that you are feeling as excited and optimistic for the new woolworths.co.uk as we do. We want to see the Woolworths name around for at least another 100 years and with your help we will.

Thanks for your continued enthusiasm and support - we’ll be back in touch soon.

The woolworths.co.uk team

I’m writing this from my flat in SE London as train services are suspended for the second day running. This country, as Alan Partridge once remarked. Tsk.

But enough of my travel related problems…It seemed like the game was up, but the Woolworths brand will be re-launched as an online retailer after being bought by Daily Telegraph owners, Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, for an undisclosed sum. The retailer’s children’s clothing label, Ladybird, will also be reborn online, with the brands being brought under the wing of Shop Direct Group, owned by the Barclay twins.

With e-commerce seen as the only likely retail growth area in 2009, this could be a good move. Despite its well documented troubles in recent times, Woolies remains one of UK retail’s most trusted and high profile brands. It did lag behind many of its competitors when it came to the online offering, but Shop Direct Group, which runs the likes of Littlewoods, is certainly well placed to make the necessary usability enhancements and drive the business forward. It’s a bold plan and hopefully one that will prove a success.

Scott Thompson - Editor/Retail Systems