Current affairs. When high street retail giant Woolworths closed down in January 2009, 27,000 people found themselves out of work. The collapse of one of the country's iconic high street names provided dramatic evidence that the UK was heading towards a recession. Since the closure of the company's 807 outlets, Panorama has followed former Woolies staff from across the country as they desperately try to escape the burgeoning ranks of the unemployed.