brands' distribution centres. Kays main centres in Worcester and Leeds were closed, while Littlewoods main operations in Liverpool were cut back. Index was closed down in early 2005, and at the time of its failure, it was noted that it had not made a profit for 18 out of its 20 years of operation and was running at a loss of £100M. Half of its standalone stores were sold to rival Argos and concessions in its Littlewoods stores were shut. The closure of 119 Littlewoods stores was also announced in 2005. Around 40 stores were sold to the Primark retail business, owned by ABF. Football pools Littlewoods pools business was the first to be established and grew into the biggest football pools business in the world. It went on to become the first sponsor of the FA Cup and its winners were often celebrated – notably Viv Nicholson, whose experience was immortalised in the book, play, and musical Spend, Spend, Spend. In June 1961, Littlewoods took over Sherman's Pools. The launch of the National Lottery in 1994 led to a major advertising campaign to distinguish Littlewoods Pools from other forms of betting and this proved successful in the short term. In 2000, The Moores family sold the Littlewoods Pools business to Rodime, a shell business part owned by Bank of Scotland. At that stage, Littlewoods' football pools still had a million people playing a week and the sale, for £160m, included its online venture bet247.co.uk and its phone betting arm Bet Direct. The terms of the deal enabled the Littlewoods name to be used for a further ten years. Fire at Littlewoods building On 2 September 2018, the Littlewoods Pools building, the former headquarters of Littlewoods Pools caught fire. There were no reported injuries; the building having stood empty since 2003. References Further reading External links Littlewoods official website Retail companies disestablished in 2004 Entertainment companies established in 1923 Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom 1923 establishments in the United Kingdom Defunct companies based in Liverpool David and Frederick Barclay Retail companies established in 1923