Exactly 23 years after its last U.S. store closed, Woolworth remains open and competitive in Mexico, and now their newest store has arrived in Cabo San Lucas at Lomas Altas, Colonia El Progreso, or as most gringos would say, on the road leaving Cabo that goes from San Lucas towards Todos Santos.
For over a century, Woolworth was a staple in downtown shopping districts, large and small, across the United States. Woolworth catered to shoppers of all ages and offered affordably-priced merchandise. At the time of its 100th anniversary, the company operated 4,000 stores in the United States and abroad. However, time caught up with Woolworth and its final U.S. locations closed in 1997.
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Woolworth didn’t arrive in Mexico until April 1956. The original store, located in the heart of Mexico City on the Avenida de los Insurgentes, has remained in operation for over six decades. The signature Woolworth sign still shines in red letters across the building’s exterior. Today’s Woolworth stores in Mexico are larger in size than their former American counterparts. Their newest multi-level location is now open to the public from 10 A.M. to 9 P.M.
According to Forbes Magazine, Mexico’s Foreign Investment Law, enacted in 1973, prevented Woolworths, as an American corporation, from operating in the Mexican retail market, until July 1981 when the company sold off 51% of its interest to a group of Mexican nationals to expand their business south of the border. Since then, Woolworth stores in Mexico have evolved and have found their place in the retail market and continue to thrive. It took a Mexican company to take an American icon and usher it into the 21st century
The F.W. Woolworth Company, which sold discounted general merchandise at fixed prices, usually five or ten cents at the time, undercut the prices of other local retail stores. Per Wikipedia, in 1910, Frank Woolworth commissioned the design and construction of the Woolworth Building in New York City. A pioneering early skyscraper, it was designed and completed by 1913 and was the tallest building in the world until 1930. It served as the company’s headquarters until the F.W. Woolworth Company’s successor, the Foot Locker Venator Group, sold it in 1998.
The empty, under-construction lot next to Woolworth’s between Soriana is expected to be the site of a drive-thru Kentucky Fried Chicken location. The popular Woolworth retail chain has brought jobs to hundreds of locals who rejoice in the chain’s new Cabo San Lucas location and opportunity. Located next to the CFE offices, public transportation flows through often and regularly. For now, there is parking behind the store until its underground parking structure is complete.
