Today, there are almost 12,700 supermarkets in the UK, with the largest chain being Co-op Food – the brand that launched Britain’s first supermarket 76 years ago. Back in 1948, the first UK self-service shop was the London Co-operative Society’s unique store in Manor Park, in the East End borough of Newham.
The idea of supermarkets came to Britain from the United States, where shoppers had enjoyed self-service since the 1930s. Today, more than seven decades later, the Co-op Food chain has more than 3,800 outlets across the UK, making it the nation’s biggest supermarket brand in terms of the number of sites.
We’re taking a walk down Memory Lane to give readers an insight into the fascinating story of Britain’s first supermarket…
History of the Co-op
Back in 1948, British shoppers were still experiencing the austerities of World War II, which had finally ended three years earlier. Food rationing was still in place, as although it was gradually being phased out, many diet staples were still in short supply.
Consumers were tired of scrimping and saving and having to “make do and mend”, so when the London Co-operative Society’s self-service store opened on Whitta Road, in the E12 district, on 12th January 1948, shoppers were ready to embrace the new concept.
The LCS was already a respected brand by 1948, having been founded in 1920 as a result of the amalgamation of Edmonton and Stratford co-operative societies. A retail co-operative society comprises a group of small traders who operate jointly under a trading model where members share in the profits.
The London society bought the seven-acre site, including an old Manor House built in around 1810, for £19,000. It was used as an “industrial colony” and admin centre, employing more than 600 people there at its peak.
Originally, the site housed a dairy and workshops for joiners, carpenters, upholsterers, wheelwrights and cobblers, as well as an educational facility. It also had a works department with an architects’ office, where plans were drawn up for refurbishments of Co-op stores. This department was still operational in the 1960s.
Launch of the supermarket
The LCS grew rapidly during the pre-war years, amalgamating with more societies and becoming a shareholder in England’s Co-operative Wholesale Society.
In 1942, a small part of Romford Co-op piloted a “semi self-service” format for goods that weren’t rationed, with rationed items still sold over the counter. Only the new Manor Park store launched in 1948 operated with a full self-service format, earning it the title of the first supermarket in Britain. Co-op branches in West Hounslow and Barkingside also began to offer self-service.
Tesco, a fellow grocery retail outlet that started in London’s East End in 1919, opened its first self-service store later in 1948.
In post-war Britain, in pre-decimal money days, you could expect to pay ten pence for a loaf of bread, two shillings for 1lb of bacon and one shilling and four pence for 1lb of butter. Fresh eggs were two shillings and sixpence per dozen, 1lb of cheese was ten pence and 1lb of beef cost one shilling and four pence. A quart of milk (two pints) was ten pence, sugar cost five pence per 1lb and 7lbs of potatoes were a shilling.
Some foods, including staples such as bread and meat, were still rationed.
Did people like supermarkets?
Being able to browse the supermarket shelves to pick up what they could afford gave consumers the chance to keep to their budget more easily.
At first, some found supermarkets intimidating, as the etiquette of shopping was ingrained in our society. It was customary to have a chat with the shopkeeper as they served you and customers didn’t handle goods themselves. It was rather like a scene from Open All Hours, the classic British sitcom starring Ronnie Barker as overbearing shopkeeper Albert Arkwright.
Some customers felt they were “being watched” in the early years of supermarkets, fearing they were suspected of theft. The first Co-op supermarket was colloquially known as a “help yourself” store, but not in that way!
For many customers, self-service was preferable to standing at the counter in front of other shoppers, ordering items and letting everyone know your business. However, according to Dr Adrian Bailey, of Exeter University, supermarket critics described self-service as having an impersonal nature, with an “anti-community, anti-social” ambience.
Supermarkets have also been called “the biggest shopping revolution until Amazon” – and for good reason, as they became a global phenomenon during the late 20th century.
What happened to Manor Park Co-op? After decades of use, the premises began to deteriorate during the 1970s and the Co-op announced its intentions to redevelop the whole site. However, the company couldn’t reach an agreement with the council over the fate of the old Manor House, which had been granted Grade II listed status in 1973.
The council wanted the Co-op to restore it at a cost of £12,000 as a condition of planning permission, but this became a sticking point, so the company gradually withdrew from the site. The house was sold to a property developer, refurbished and taken over by BUPA Care Homes.
Co-op brand today
The Co-op brand today is a familiar sight on many high streets, thanks to its easily recognisable shop front, featuring the company logo in blue using the stylish Avenir Next font.
Co-op Food, the modern grocery arm of the brand, remains under the company umbrella, boasting more than 1,100 more supermarkets in the UK than its nearest rival, Tesco.
Many modern supermarkets look vastly different from their predecessors in the 1940s, as the aluminium shopfront is one of today’s most popular design choices. With its security and energy efficient properties, combined with an aesthetically pleasing finish, aluminium is the material of the future.