Supermarkets have been a hot topic for discussion lately and this makes it somewhat hard to believe that a few decades ago, there were much less of these around and people had to travel further to reach one of their choice. Many of the big out of town supermarkets only opened in the past three decades or so, but there have been a few that have lasted longer so it would be interesting to find out which was the first to open in your local area.
In the Bournemouth & Poole area where I'm from, I think the first big supermarkets were those built as part of the Hampshire Centre complex in 1968, although these were rebuilt to be incorporated into the Castlepoint Shopping Centre in 2003. Poole's first I think was the Asda on Canford Heath which I seem to recall opened in 1980, while the Sainsbury's in the town centre followed a few years later.
In the Bournemouth & Poole area where I'm from, I think the first big supermarkets were those built as part of the Hampshire Centre complex in 1968, although these were rebuilt to be incorporated into the Castlepoint Shopping Centre in 2003. Poole's first I think was the Asda on Canford Heath which I seem to recall opened in 1980, while the Sainsbury's in the town centre followed a few years later.