Woolworths was founded in two notable contexts:
- The original Woolworth company, known as the F. W. Woolworth Company, was founded by Frank Winfield Woolworth. The first Woolworth store opened on February 22, 1879, in Utica, New York. Although this first store failed, the first successful store opened on June 21, 1879, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The company was formally incorporated on February 16, 1905.
- Woolworths Group in Australia was founded later, on September 22, 1924. The first Woolworths store in Australia opened on December 5, 1924, in Sydney.
Thus, the original Woolworth retail chain dates back to 1879 in the United States, while the Australian Woolworths supermarket chain was founded in 1924.
