Long forgotten brands that sank without trace
I can remember the old Co-op supermarket here (which opened in the mid-80s) used to have the alcohol in a separate section, that you had to go through gates to get to. I can't remember if you actually had to buy the alcohol in that section, or if you payed for it at the main checkout (I was only a kid at the time and wouldn't have took notice of such things!). They did get rid of that section when it was refurbished in the early 90s.
Funnily enough though, the BBC Domesday project does actually have a photo taken in that exact part of the store! http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/d ... 000-363000
Another thing I can remember about that co-op is that the cheese and deli counter was in the middle of the shop floor, rather than at the back as they usually are, the same was also true at the Sainsbury's in Derby (which was built circa 1990, and got rid of when it was refurbed in 98). I can't remember any other supermarkets being like this, but I'm wondering if that sort of layout was more common at one time?
Funnily enough though, the BBC Domesday project does actually have a photo taken in that exact part of the store! http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/d ... 000-363000
Another thing I can remember about that co-op is that the cheese and deli counter was in the middle of the shop floor, rather than at the back as they usually are, the same was also true at the Sainsbury's in Derby (which was built circa 1990, and got rid of when it was refurbed in 98). I can't remember any other supermarkets being like this, but I'm wondering if that sort of layout was more common at one time?
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bilky asko
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I remember the local Kwik Save having a LiquorSave logo on the side until it turned into a Somerfield in 2004. I didn't remember it being a separate section, although when I think about it, I vaguely remember it. Very vaguely.Andrew wrote:Kwik Save used to of course have "LiquorSave" as a seperate store within a store selling alcohol.
The separate booze sections are, as some have speculated, the result of disparity between permitted store opening hours and off-license hours. The later approach was to just block the aisle, often with one of those tensabarrier style things which read "Beers, Wines and spirits Closed".
One of my very earliest memories is going to JS on a Sunday soon after Sunday trading was permitted, and seeing the BWS area cut off.
Since 24 hour licensing was sanctioned a few years ago, the problem has become a lot less prevalent, but still exists particularly in some convenience operations. In these branches, special shutters are usually fitted which have an explanation of the licensed hours printed on the outside.
One of my very earliest memories is going to JS on a Sunday soon after Sunday trading was permitted, and seeing the BWS area cut off.
Since 24 hour licensing was sanctioned a few years ago, the problem has become a lot less prevalent, but still exists particularly in some convenience operations. In these branches, special shutters are usually fitted which have an explanation of the licensed hours printed on the outside.
I know of a few Tesco Extras which are set out this way, with the counters over effectively a wide aisle. It's odd, but it works.james2001 wrote: Another thing I can remember about that co-op is that the cheese and deli counter was in the middle of the shop floor, rather than at the back as they usually are, the same was also true at the Sainsbury's in Derby (which was built circa 1990, and got rid of when it was refurbed in 98). I can't remember any other supermarkets being like this, but I'm wondering if that sort of layout was more common at one time?
That would be Wrexham, the first Morrisons to be purposely built with the 'store of the future' format, the deli, the butchers and the fishmongers is all in the middle rather than on the perimeter like every other Morrisons.Pete wrote:Also look at SirKen's blog for a photo of an experimental Morrisons in Wales.
steve
I'm fairly sure it was because alcohol sales were prohibited completely in premises over a certain square footage, so supermarkets effectively built separate 'shops' with four tangible walls (and an independent payment point), to comply with the legislation. It wasn't sufficient to simply fence off an area within the main store.WillPS wrote:The separate booze sections are, as some have speculated, the result of disparity between permitted store opening hours and off-license hours. The later approach was to just block the aisle, often with one of those tensabarrier style things which read "Beers, Wines and spirits Closed".
Ah yes, MVC, the perfect example of a brand that never really made an impact, and one Id forgotten about until reminded by this thread. Most of them became Music Zone which itself went into administration shortly after.Pete wrote:Ooh how about MVC. I remember you had to get an MVC card and saved about 20% on everything.
There were also Woolworths Music and Videos stores, usually based within shopping centres. Cardiff city centre had one of these rather than MVC and didnt have a proper Woolworths either.
Talking of MVC, I'm sure the whole idea of Big W was to bring the products of Woolworths, MVC, Superdrug, Comet and B&Q together under one roof, taking full advantage of their buying power. Bizarrely, shortly after they started developing the concept, Kingfisher Plc started spinning off the various chains in the group, which sounded the death knell.
For the full story with Big W, you have to go way back to when Kingfisher PLC were in the process of purchasing ASDA. With the purchase completed, there'd have been massive capitalisation on the synergies between Woolies, ASDA and the other Kingfisher businesses. ASDA Hypermarkets (which were still in their infancy, with only a handful of trading locations, but plenty of sites earmarked for such development) would have featured electrical lines from Comet, everyday homeware lines from B&Q and entertainment and Ladybird clothing & confectionery lines from Woolworths. Woolworths stores would have taken on some 'essential' food lines (not dissimilar to how Wilkinson now do, I guess) and a convenience chain was planned which would carry essential lines from Woolies and ASDA.Whataday wrote:Talking of MVC, I'm sure the whole idea of Big W was to bring the products of Woolworths, MVC, Superdrug, Comet and B&Q together under one roof, taking full advantage of their buying power. Bizarrely, shortly after they started developing the concept, Kingfisher Plc started spinning off the various chains in the group, which sounded the death knell.
It probably would have worked, I reckon. But of course, the plans were ruined when Kingfisher were spectacularly gazumped by Wal-Mart. The situation was worsened by the fact that Kingfisher had let Woolies stagnate through the late 90s in preparation for these sweeping changes. They now faced an ageing store portfolio with a decreasingly sustainable store offer (the famed jack of all trades, master of none). With the remnants of the plans came about Big W and Woolworths General Store. Neither were successful, and in both cases the stores became more-or-less standard Woolworths.
The rest is pretty well known. The result of the 90s stagnation meant that by the mid-00s Woolies stores were mostly outdated verging on knackered, and the now spun-off company lacked the resources or ability to 'catch up'.