Australian shoppers have shared their surprise after discovering what the 'W' stands for in Big W.
It has been revealed that the name Big W is actually an abbreviation of 'Big Woolworths'.
A spokesperson for Big W told FEMAIL that the name Big W comes from the opening of our very first store in 1964 in the Jesmond Shopping Center in Newcastle.
“The 'W' stands for 'Woolworths' and reflects the close relationship the brand has with our supermarkets,” they said.
The Woolworths group developed Big W in the mid-1960s as a one-stop-shop department store, similar to Myer or David Jones.
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Shoppers are shocked after discovering the 'W' in Big W stands for Woolworths. The name is a 'reflection of the brand's close relationship with Woolworths supermarkets'
The name was changed to Woolworth Family Centers in 1970 before the Big W branding was brought back when the retailer was converted into the discount department store as shoppers know it today.
Customers were stunned by the revelation and shared their shock online.
“My life has been a lie,” one man said, and another wrote, “I work at Big W and didn't even know it.”
“I thought it was Aussie Walmart,” a third replied.
“I always thought it was like Big Warehouse or something,” said a fourth, with someone adding: “Learned something new now, didn't know that.”
Not everyone was in the dark about Big W's name, with many saying they had known about its meaning for years.
“I found out because I knew they were part of Woolworths so I connected the dots,” one user wrote.
“Wait, I thought everyone knew that. It makes as much sense as the big Woolworths because it has more stuff in it than normal Woolies,” a second explained.