MORE than 11 years ago the last branches of Woolworths closed their doors.

With the news of the chain's return, The Daily Echo invites you to look back through pictures of the old Southampton store and to feel that glorious pang of nostalgia.

For many of us it triggers memories of carefully choosing pick-and-mix sweets, gazing wantingly at the latest toys, grabbing a bite to eat in the cafe, and begrudgingly waiting for relatives outside the changing rooms.

The original Woolworths in Southampton was opened in 1913 and was located in East Street. It wasn’t until 1923 when the store in Above Bar opened its doors, providing the public with an additional, larger outlet in which to shop.

After the building was destroyed during the Blitz, it was rebuilt in stages from 1949, and was completed on November 4, 1954.

The new store provided extra sales counters, a large tea bar stretching along the back of the ground floor and state-of-the-art air conditioning and lighting.

The basement consisted of various stock rooms, an ice cream counter and a horticultural store.

In June 1965 many of the multiple staffrooms on the upper floor made way for more shopping space, providing consumers with 36,000sqft, the size of 14 full-size tennis courts.

Over the years, many changes were put in place: escalators were fitted, a record shop was introduced and the upper floor was used solely for food and drink.

The store closed its doors for the last time in September 2007, much to the shock and dismay of employees and locals alike.

UPDATE: The news of the return of Woolworths turned out to be a hoax started from a newly created Twitter account.