Branch files

Files of papers and images relating to individual Sainsbury's branches.

The content of individual files varies and there is more content in some branch files than others. Examples of papers that may be found in a branch file include leaflets advertising the opening of new stores, internal memoranda relating to stores, information about the construction of stores, historical research notes and information, press releases and press cuttings. Images include exterior photographs, interior photographs, photographs featuring staff and customers, and photographs of the store during construction. The files are an artificial compilation of papers put together by staff in the Sainsbury's archives over many years, and form an extensive part of the Sainsbury's archive collection.

The files include information for most branches from the first shop opened in 1869 up to the supermarkets of the 1990s. For more recent branches particularly the large number of Sainsbury's Local convenience stores there are very few branch files available.

Branch files for Savacentre and Homebase stores are not included in this SubFonds - see SA/SBHS/A-Z for Savacentre and SA/SGB/A-Z for Homebase. However, some of the Sainsbury's branch files do also contain material relating to Homebase stores because many of the Homebase stores in the 1980s and 1990s were on the same site as a Sainsbury's store (often next door to each other) and built as a single development.

The files are arranged in alphabetical order by branch name. Some of the branch files relate to multiple branches in a particular town or city, however other files relate just to one specific branch. This means that a branch file for a branch in the suburbs of a particular town/city could be placed either under the name of the town/city or under the name of the suburb.