Today Sainsbury’s is a longstanding institution in Bristol, with stores large and small across. the city. Sixty years ago when the first branch opened at Broadmead, it wasn’t just the first Sainsbury’s supermarket in the area, it was their largest self service shop in Britain.
These days it would be dwarfed by every superstore in the land, but when it opened its doors at 33-39 Broadweir on November 14 1961, there was a queue of curious customers who couldn’t wait to get inside and explore this exciting new shopping phenomenon.
Prices were in pounds, shillings and pence, before decimal currency or “new money” came in and one of the special opening offers was Rowntrees jellies, reduced to seven-pence halfpenny - less than 3p.
