Has an unverified Woolworths twitter account pranked Britain? Probably.
An unverified Twitter account claiming to belong to Woolworths emerged this morning, sparking a media frenzy and a social media storm.
The account claimed that three trial stores of the retailer will open next year, with just “a few legal contracts left to sign”.
But there is little evidence that a return is, in fact, in the cards.
Companies House data shows the former high street brand still a dormant company owned by The Very Group.
A spokesperson for The Very Group commented: “We own the Woolworths trademark in the UK. The Twitter account UKWoolworths is not connected to The Very Group.”
The account lists a website that doesn’t exist and until this morning didn’t have a single follower.
The account’s tweets include a number of typos, including of the brand’s actual name.
That has not stopped the account ‘trending’ on Twitter.
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According to Companies House, two companies – Woolworths Online and Woolworths Limited – were registered at the headquarters of The Very Group, which bought Woolworths when it went under in 2008.
Woolworths Online was dissolved in 2019. Woolworths Limited has continued to file accounts as a dormant company.