A true staple on the high streets ever since its inception all the way back in 1909, very few bankruptcies hit people quite as hard as Woolworths did in 2008. Specialising in everything from clothing ranges to pick n mix, Woolworths was economically smashed by the worldwide financial recession in 2008 and plans to keep any of its stores in operation looked destined to fail. Between December 2008 and January 2009, 807 Woolworths stores were closed which resulted in nearly 30,000 job losses.