Trivia: Retail/food chains that don’t cover the entire UK

[Ediswan]

Simmons bakery is a smaller chain, exclusively in Hertfordshire.

They appear to have expanded into Essex, just. They now have a shop in Nazeing.

 

[Busaholic]

Asda and Morrisons and Iceland are very rare in the South East England area. But very common elsewhere. They do have them in the South East but very few compared to up north.

I have lived and worked in the South East most of my life and it is incredibly rare for me to stumble across an Asda or Morrisons or Iceland where as i see Waitrose everywhere i go.

On the other hand Waitrose are very common in the South East England area. But very rare elsewhere. They do have them throughout the country but only a very tiny amount elsewhere.

Lets look at Surrey (which i am defining as the current Surrey County Council area) which currently has:

24x Waitrose
3x Asda
3x Morrisons
3x Iceland

Asda and Morrisons and Iceland are very rare in the South East England area. But very common elsewhere. They do have them in the South East but very few compared to up north.

I have lived and worked in the South East most of my life and it is incredibly rare for me to stumble across an Asda or Morrisons or Iceland where as i see Waitrose everywhere i go.

On the other hand Waitrose are very common in the South East England area. But very rare elsewhere. They do have them throughout the country but only a very tiny amount elsewhere.

Lets look at Surrey (which i am defining as the current Surrey County Council area) which currently has:

24x Waitrose
3x Asda
3x Morrisons
3x Iceland

Now look at Sussex (which i am defining as the current East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council areas all combined) which currently has:

22x Waitrose
8x Asda
8x Morrisons
14x Iceland

So it is clear that Waitrose is more targeted towards the South East while Asda and Morrisons and Iceland are more targeted towards other areas.

Cumbria (which is a massive areas) has zero Waitrose branches. Lancashire (which is also a massive area) has just one Waitrose branch. Yorkshire (all of East North South West parts combined which is an enormous area both size and population wise) have just three Waitrose branches. So it appears that Waitrose are not really that interested in these other areas. But interestingly Jersey and Guernsey have three Waitrose branches each so six in total in the Channel Islands area.

Sainsburys and Tesco are more national supermarkets these days as you see them everywhere. You can find Sainsburys and Tesco in most areas. So they do not seem to have a target area as such these days.

B & M and Home Bargains are also very much Northern England targeted with very few South East branches. I have never actually been in one before. The only time i have seen them is on my travels to other areas. So they are rare in many parts of the country.

Centra and Super Value are two supermarket chains in both Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland but they have no stores on the mainland. Centra is more convenience style local supermarkets while Super Value is more large full sized supermarkets but they are both owned by the same people. I reckon there must be other chains that are in both Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland but have no stores on the mainland.

Now look at Sussex (which i am defining as the current East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council areas all combined) which currently has:

22x Waitrose
8x Asda
8x Morrisons
14x Iceland

So it is clear that Waitrose is more targeted towards the South East while Asda and Morrisons and Iceland are more targeted towards other areas.

Cumbria (which is a massive areas) has zero Waitrose branches. Lancashire (which is also a massive area) has just one Waitrose branch. Yorkshire (all of East North South West parts combined which is an enormous area both size and population wise) have just three Waitrose branches. So it appears that Waitrose are not really that interested in these other areas. But interestingly Jersey and Guernsey have three Waitrose branches each so six in total in the Channel Islands area.

Sainsburys and Tesco are more national supermarkets these days as you see them everywhere. You can find Sainsburys and Tesco in most areas. So they do not seem to have a target area as such these days.

B & M and Home Bargains are also very much Northern England targeted with very few South East branches. I have never actually been in one before. The only time i have seen them is on my travels to other areas. So they are rare in many parts of the country.

Centra and Super Value are two supermarket chains in both Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland but they have no stores on the mainland. Centra is more convenience style local supermarkets while Super Value is more large full sized supermarkets but they are both owned by the same people. I reckon there must be other chains that are in both Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland but have no stores on the mainland.

 

[D6130]

When my local branch of Waitrose opened in Newark in Nottinghamshire it was the most northerly branch and remained so for a few years.

I can’t find the date when Waitrose in Newark opened but I have found out that it remained their furthest north branch until 2003.

That must have been about when the Waitrose supermarket in Otley, West Yorkshire, opened.

 

[Strathclyder]

Heron Foods seems to be mostly Midlands and north apart from a cluster in South Wales and Bristol. Nothing in Scotland.

Was gonna mention them as I briefly visited their Alfreton store when staying with a close friend down there late last year. Not a brand I've seen here in Scotland, like you say.

 

[tbtc]

Some fascinating examples here of one random branch that’s rather distant from the rest of the “empire”, feels like a story to be told in why they find it economic to maintain a single so far from others

Regional chains seem fewer nowadays; I remember my first Morrisons because growing up in Scotland we had Safeway instead (well, Presto first, then Safeway)… Safeway seemed to have very little overlap with Morrisons, before the merger/ takeover

I was in a Heron earlier today. For those unlucky enough to be some distance from one, it’s like an Iceland but with the “middle aisle” of Aldi/Lidl in terms of random foods (generally with short “Best before”/ “use by” dates, but deeply discounted… e.g. the last time I was in they had Galaxy/ Maltesers Advent Calendars at three for a quid… now those have disappeared and the shelf was packed with bottles of Lucozade at that price… next time it will no doubt be something completely different again), so it’s a combination of “cheap downmarket frozen foods” and “Special offers on unexpected goods that may or may not have fallen off the back of a lorry”

Heron is owned by B&M so it may expand in future (the B&M in Hillsborough in Sheffield effectively has a Heron inside it, so they’ve tried combining the two)

Did TJ Hughes have many shops outside of northern England? It’s closed now so I can’t check, but I don’t recall seeing any branches outside of “Yorkshire”/ “Lancashire”

 

[D6130]

Did TJ Hughes have many shops outside of northern England? It’s closed now so I can’t check, but I don’t recall seeing any branches outside of “Yorkshire”/ “Lancashire”

Yes....they had one in the former Lewis's department store in Argyle Street, Glasgow about 15 years ago, IIRC. They also have branches in Newcastle, Durham and Hartlepool.

 

[Western Sunset]

Someone mentioned above, that in the 60s, Sainsburys were in southern England. I recall one in Derby when I was growing up in the late 50s; can still picture one long counter on each side of the shop. Confectioners are often just in a smallish geographic area; again in Derby we have Bird's, though they might have some branches in Nottm.

Is NISA nationwide, or is it part of the Co-op now?

 

[D6130]

Is NISA nationwide, or is it part of the Co-op now?

Here in West Yorkshire the Co-op seems to have been taken over by NISA....although it still retains its branding. Co-op own brand products are slowly infiltrating NISA stores though.

 

[TheHSRailFan]

Simmons bakery is a smaller chain, exclusively in Hertfordshire

I was also going to say Simmons (do much better sausage rolls than Greggs) But I've noticed every county/area has their own Bakery chain.

 

[Thirteen]

Morley’s fried chicken is almost exclusively in south London.

Morley's does have a presence in other parts of London although the majority of their outlets are in Croydon.

 

[birchesgreen]

Did TJ Hughes have many shops outside of northern England? It’s closed now so I can’t check, but I don’t recall seeing any branches outside of “Yorkshire”/ “Lancashire”

Yes they used to have a branch in Lichfield.

 

[DelayRepay]

Regional chains seem fewer nowadays; I remember my first Morrisons because growing up in Scotland we had Safeway instead (well, Presto first, then Safeway)… Safeway seemed to have very little overlap with Morrisons, before the merger/ takeover

There used to be lots of regional chains of convenience stores.

In Yorkshire, we had Jacksons, which was taken over by Sainsburys re-branded as Sainsburys Local. Before the takeover there were loads of Jacksons stores on the suburban shopping parades.

Jack Fulton was another chain that had most of their stores in the North and Midlands. They were taken over by Poundland and stores either converted to Poundland stores, or closed.

 

[Snow1964]

In the South and South West had Gateway supermarkets, I think Gateway became part of Somerfields (which sold off its bigger sites about 15 years ago to assortment of other grocers, then eventually disappeared.

Also had a chain called Key markets (a friend worked at one whilst at sixth form), branch became a Waitrose.

Our town (in 1970s) also had Fine Fare and International and Target (all small supermarkets), all the small stores eventually closed once Safeway build a medium size store (which I worked at in early 1980s as a sixth former), but don't know if these brands were regional.

The Safeway store I worked in eventually became part of Morrisons, later became a Somerfield, then a Co-Op and is now an M&S food store !

 

[Tester]

Did TJ Hughes have many shops outside of northern England? It’s closed now so I can’t check, but I don’t recall seeing any branches outside of “Yorkshire”/ “Lancashire”

There was one in Watford - closed 2011

I was also going to say Simmons (do much better sausage rolls than Greggs) But I've noticed every county/area has their own Bakery chain.

Simmons is worth going out of the way for their cheese straws!

 

[SteveM70]

Is NISA nationwide, or is it part of the Co-op now?

It’s a bit odd and complicated. NISA is an independent group of independent businesses (NISA stands for National Independent Supermarkets Association) and is owned by its members. They made a decision about five years ago to accept the Coop’s £143m offer to buy the wholesale element of NISA - basically their distribution network. Each member made a tidy sum from that. So the NISA members now have access to Coop ranges but aren’t compelled to buy from them

In the South and South West had Gateway supermarkets, I think Gateway became part of Somerfields (which sold off its bigger sites about 15 years ago to assortment of other grocers, then eventually disappeared.

Gateway was gradually rebranded to Somerfield, there wasn’t a takeover. They then bought Kwik Save, then got
Mired in debt and nearly collapsed, and finally Somerfield was bought by the Coop

 

[pdq]

Some fascinating examples here of one random branch that’s rather distant from the rest of the “empire”

This made me think of Sainsbury's. They have a store in Tenby, but I'm not aware of any other stores nearby. The store finder suggests nothing in Pembrokeshire, and the nearest being Swansea and Gorseinon. At 50+ miles away that's a long there and back journey to service one store that's not that big in modern terms.

The history of the store is that Tenby originally had one supermarket in the town centre, where Peacocks is now. It was Mason's in the 70s, then Gateway. They opened their brand new store by the multi storey car park in the 80s, which subsequently rebranded to Somerfield. I don't remember if it went from Somerfield to Sainsbury's or if there was another name in between.

 

[Intercity110]

amazon fresh- i’d love to see any non-london examples you’ve got!

 

[jfollows]

That must have been about when the Waitrose supermarket in Otley, West Yorkshire, opened.

The Guardian reported (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2004/mar/26/supermarkets) on 26 March 2004 that Waitrose had bought 19 supermarkets from Morrisons, which Morrisons had agreed to as part of its takeover of Safeway, which was completed on 8 March 2004.
The former Safeway in Wilmslow was also one of this, and has been Waitrose since, with the "full list" of the 19 being (in quotes because the list doesn't include Wilmslow for some reason, maybe that came as part of a different deal?):

Sandbach, Abergavenny, Harrogate, Hitchin, Swaffham, Barry, Otley, Dartford, Lincoln, Sheffield (Ecclesall Road), Wolverhampton, Willerby, Rushden, Fulham, Towcester, Newport in Shropshire, Worthing, Southport and Farnham.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes....they had one in the former Lewis's department store in Argyle Street, Glasgow about 15 years ago, IIRC. They also have branches in Newcastle, Durham and Hartlepool.

TJ Hughes (which incidentally is why TJ Maxx had to be called TK Maxx in the UK, though I believe they now think it sounds better anyway so use the latter in a few other places now) is a Liverpool business and still has a store there, though there was huge retrenchment a while back.

 

[DelayRepay]

The Guardian reported (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2004/mar/26/supermarkets) on 26 March 2004 that Waitrose had bought 19 supermarkets from Morrisons, which Morrisons had agreed to as part of its takeover of Safeway, which was completed on 8 March 2004.
The former Safeway in Wilmslow was also one of this, and has been Waitrose since, with the "full list" of the 19 being (in quotes because the list doesn't include Wilmslow for some reason, maybe that came as part of a different deal?):

I remember the former Safeway in Sheffield was one of the stores that was ultimately sold to Waitrose.

There was a strange period during the transition where there were elements of all three brands evident in the store.

 

[Western Sunset]

It’s a bit odd and complicated. NISA is an independent group of independent businesses (NISA stands for National Independent Supermarkets Association) and is owned by its members. They made a decision about five years ago to accept the Coop’s £143m offer to buy the wholesale element of NISA - basically their distribution network. Each member made a tidy sum from that. So the NISA members now have access to Coop ranges but aren’t compelled to buy from them

Thanks. So that's why we have some Coop stuff in it. It also hosts our village post office and has recently got some Amazon (or some other courier's) lockers at the back too.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Thanks. So that's why we have some Coop stuff in it. It also hosts our village post office and has recently got some Amazon (or some other courier's) lockers at the back too.

Anything that helps bring some revenue in?

 

[Hadders]

Asda and Morrisons and Iceland are very rare in the South East England area. But very common elsewhere. They do have them in the South East but very few compared to up north.

I have lived and worked in the South East most of my life and it is incredibly rare for me to stumble across an Asda or Morrisons or Iceland where as i see Waitrose everywhere i go.

On the other hand Waitrose are very common in the South East England area. But very rare elsewhere. They do have them throughout the country but only a very tiny amount elsewhere.

Lets look at Surrey (which i am defining as the current Surrey County Council area) which currently has:

24x Waitrose
3x Asda
3x Morrisons
3x Iceland

Now look at Sussex (which i am defining as the current East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council areas all combined) which currently has:

22x Waitrose
8x Asda
8x Morrisons
14x Iceland

So it is clear that Waitrose is more targeted towards the South East while Asda and Morrisons and Iceland are more targeted towards other areas.

Cumbria (which is a massive areas) has zero Waitrose branches. Lancashire (which is also a massive area) has just one Waitrose branch. Yorkshire (all of East North South West parts combined which is an enormous area both size and population wise) have just three Waitrose branches. So it appears that Waitrose are not really that interested in these other areas. But interestingly Jersey and Guernsey have three Waitrose branches each so six in total in the Channel Islands area.

Sainsburys and Tesco are more national supermarkets these days as you see them everywhere. You can find Sainsburys and Tesco in most areas. So they do not seem to have a target area as such these days.

B & M and Home Bargains are also very much Northern England targeted with very few South East branches. I have never actually been in one before. The only time i have seen them is on my travels to other areas. So they are rare in many parts of the country.

Centra and Super Value are two supermarket chains in both Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland but they have no stores on the mainland. Centra is more convenience style local supermarkets while Super Value is more large full sized supermarkets but they are both owned by the same people. I reckon there must be other chains that are in both Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland but have no stores on the mainland.

Excellent piece. In terms of the 'Big 4' supermarkets (although Morrisons are on the cusp of being overtaken by Aldi):

Tesco was southern based and only moved into Scotland in the 1990s through acquisition
Sainsbury's is also predominently London and south-east. Expansion has meant that they're now nationwide but there is still a mojority of stores in the south.
Asda is based in Leeds and they have a much larger density of storers in the north than in the south
Morrisons is based in Bradford and like Asda most of their stores are in the north. Their most southerly store was Northampton which opened int he 1990s. Their acquisition of Safeway in the early 2000s gave them a national presence.

Good post @busestrains. Presumably the geographical location (and number) of distribution centres must be a factor in determining where retail outlets are actually located. Not very economical in having a solitary outlet that's a long way from the nearest distribution centre.

This is a major consideration alomg with the expected stores sales. If you're going a long distance you want full vehicles, not ones carting fresh air about. There can be some benefit if back-hauling from suppliers can be done as well.

AIUI both the Central England and the East of England Co-op are part of the Co-operative Group, which is countrywide, though.

Not quite. Central England and East of England Co-ops are independent businesses, along with the 30 or so other retail co-ops (e.g. Souythern, Midcounties, Radstock). They purchase many of their goods via a buying and marketing federation which is operated by the Co-operative Group. The Co-operative is itself a large retailer operating over 2,000 stores.

In the South and South West had Gateway supermarkets, I think Gateway became part of Somerfields (which sold off its bigger sites about 15 years ago to assortment of other grocers, then eventually disappeared.

Somerfield was take over by the Co-operative Group in 2009.

Simmons is worth going out of the way for their cheese straws!

Agreed!

 

[dgl]

On the Nisa front, interestingly in Stalbridge, North Dorset there is a Nisa supermarket rather than just a convenience store, it's a relatively small supermarket but even has a cafe and deli counters.

 

[david1212]

Did TJ Hughes have many shops outside of northern England? It’s closed now so I can’t check, but I don’t recall seeing any branches outside of “Yorkshire”/ “Lancashire”

Back to 1990's the only one I knew in the West Midlands was Wolverhampton.
By 2000 they had Eastbourne and Coventry. I can't recall exactly when but Weston-super-Mare too - what was the Co-op building?

A few years later they rapidly expanded taking on empty units but that did not work out. I seem to recall most if not all stores shut for a while. Coventry reopened until March 2020. It did reopen when allowed later 2020 but after forced to close again did not reopen 2021.

 

[Bletchleyite]

On the Nisa front, interestingly in Stalbridge, North Dorset there is a Nisa supermarket rather than just a convenience store, it's a relatively small supermarket but even has a cafe and deli counters.

You do get these in rural places where the big guys and even the Co-op (who mostly do small stores in England but do bigger ones in Wales) don't think it would make money but an independent is willing to make a go of it, possibly with more local buy in and acceptance of higher prices to make it viable.

 

[ChrisC]

Someone mentioned above, that in the 60s, Sainsburys were in southern England. I recall one in Derby when I was growing up in the late 50s; can still picture one long counter on each side of the shop.

I can remember the new Sainsburys in Derby opening in what was then known as the Eagle Centre. It opened during my first few days of arriving in Derby for training as a teacher at Bishop Lonsdale College in September 1973. The old Sainsburys shop had just closed so I missed it by a few days. I think it had opened in the 1950s and I was sorry to have missed what had remained an old fashioned counter service store right up to its closure. I’ve seen photographs of it with its long counters and tiled walls. Was this the last of this type of original Sainsburys store? I was already familiar with Sainsburys after shopping at a store in Nottinghamshire with my mum from the late 1960”s onwards.

 

[DoubleLemon]

Greggs are missing from the Isle of Wight and the majority of Northern Ireland (they've got a few shops in the Belfast area). In other parts of the country they exist but are few and far between, such as Cornwall and the north of Scotland.

When Greggs opened the first store. It was at the first motorway services in Northern Ireland. There were queues miles long.

 

[PeterY]

Simmons bakery is a smaller chain, exclusively in Hertfordshire. They have a big shop next to their ‘central’ bakery in Hatfield, and I often wonder if the cakes there are that little bit better, being the Bakery version of the brewery tap.

I often use the Simmons bakery in Hatfield, if I'm cycling that way. It's handy for the disused line, St Albans to Hatfield. Always a queue in there.

 

[Hadders]

I can remember the new Sainsburys in Derby opening in what was then known as the Eagle Centre. It opened during my first few days of arriving in Derby for training as a teacher at Bishop Lonsdale College in September 1973. The old Sainsburys shop had just closed so I missed it by a few days. I think it had opened in the 1950s and I was sorry to have missed what had remained an old fashioned counter service store right up to its closure. I’ve seen photographs of it with its long counters and tiled walls. Was this the last of this type of original Sainsburys store? I was already familiar with Sainsburys after shopping at a store in Nottinghamshire with my mum from the late 1960”s onwards.

The last Sainsbury’s store with counter service closed in 1982 and was at Rye Lane, Peckham.