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.
Quick Read
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.
