THE Woolworths name will re-sume trading online this June, its new owner has told LDP Business.

Speke-based Shop Direct Group’s decision to bring back the century-old high street name follows an online survey of potential customers about what they would like to buy.

The news comes as Shop Direct, formerly known as Littlewoods, files its latest accounts at Companies House.

Traditional Woolworths products to be sold through a new Woolworths website include toys and childrens clothes.

A confectionery service will be known as “Click and Mix”.

Shop Direct bought the Woolworths name from its administrators earlier this year after the chain closed its high street doors to customers for the final time.

Shop Direct chief executive Mark Newton-Jones said: “We have been blown away by the response of the Woolworths customers.

“Over 400,000 have come to us through the website and we are getting brilliant information about what we should sell.

“We hope to go live in June and we will definitely go big on toys. We are also definitely going to do pick and mix, but we will call it click and mix.”

Shop Direct has this week posted its latest annual report and accounts at Companies House.

The accounts show that the retailer made a loss before tax, for the year to April, 2008, of £148m, a more than four-fold increase on the £37.9m pre-tax loss in the previous year.

The company attributed the worsening position to an increase in one-off charges such as the writedown of property values and redundancy payments.

The year saw Shop Direct’s first increase in total sales in more than a decade.

Mr Newton-Jones points to a rise in underlying trading profits, which more than doubled from £26.5m to £60.9m.

Shop Direct also reported continuing strong online sales growth. Boosted by a £20m media campaign, online sales are currently growing at an annual rate of 50%, even higher than the 35% seen prior to Christmas. Online sales now account for 55% of group sales.

The rapid online growth has off-set a sharp decline in Littlewoods traditional print catalogue business.

Two recent surveys by consultants CapGemini and online analysts IMRG both show a slowdown in online retail sales growth rates in the UK in recent months.

Mr Newton-Jones said: “While they were reporting sales slowing, we were seeing faster growth.”