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STORIES HIGHLIGHTS

Self-Service

STORIES HIGHLIGHTS

Working Lives

88 results

Video Story

Archive Talk: History of Self-Service at Sainsbury's

Listen to Archivist, Allison Foster, give a talk about the revolution in British shopping habits.

Quick Read

Store Highlight: Coldhams Lane, Cambridge

Coldhams Lane, Cambridge was Sainsbury’s first ‘edge of town’ supermarket – a key milestone in store planning. It was also the first branch with its own petrol station. Go back to 1974 and see more here.

Long Read

The Story of the Car Park

The car park has been a major feature of Sainsbury's stores for the last 50 years and beyond. We look at the story of how the car park developed over time.

Video Story

Archive Talk: The History of Savacentre

Listen to Archivist, Allison Foster, give a talk about Sainsbury's answer to the hypermarket

Quick Read

Pet Products

Sainsbury’s has sold cat and dog food for over 60 years, so even the choosiest of pets should find something they like in this overview.

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Sport Ventures

Did you know that Sainsbury’s had a cricket team as early as 1915? Let's look at different sport and social activities on offer and how they evolved over time.

Video Story

Archive Talk: The History of Home Delivery

Listen to Archivist, Allison Foster, give a talk about the surprisingly long history of home delivery

Quick Read

What is Bloater Paste?

Read about how Sainsbury's made and sold this tasty tea-time treat.

Video Story

Archive Talk: The History of Tea at Sainsburys

Listen to Archivist, Allison Foster, give a talk about the changes to tea sales over the last century.

Long Read

Staff Accommodation

For over a century Sainsbury’s offered its staff a place to live as well as a job. Make yourself at home and read more here.

Quick Read

'Food For Talk' Dementia Resource

Use our printer-friendly downloadable PDF, containing key tools for self-led conversation / activity.

Long Read

Home Delivery

Although home delivery of supermarket shopping may seem like a recent innovation, Sainsbury’s has a long history of supplying goods directly to customers’ front doors. This story delivers the details, from the days of horse-drawn carts to the internet age.

Video Story

Archive Talk: Family History in the Sainsbury Archive

Listen to Archivist, Allison Foster, give an introduction to family history in our collection, including what material we hold and where to start a search.

Video Story

Archive Talk: Christmas at Sainsbury's

Listen to Archivist, Allison Foster, talk you through the history of Christmas shopping trends

Quick Read

Store Highlight: Telford

On 2nd October 1973 Sainsbury’s opened their new superstore in Telford with quite a few new interior and exterior features. Look back at some of them in true 1970s style.

Video Story

Archive Talk: The History of Homebase

Listen to Archivist, Allison Foster, give a talk about the time that Sainsbury's used to own DIY chain, Homebase.

Long Read

The Birth of the Barcode

Look back at the evolution of barcodes which revolutionised retail and brought massive technological advances to our everyday lives.

Quick Read

Barbecue Time

What items would you throw on?

Quick Read

70s Dinner Party

The archive is often complimented on our Own Label design aesthetic, so we thought it might be fun to take a look at some of the recipes of the same period to see if they were as ground breaking.

Quick Read

Store Highlight: Hammersmith Local

On 14th July 1998, Sainsbury’s opened its first Sainsbury’s Local store at 179-183 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London.