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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Lee Dalgetty

Coopers, Galbraiths and other favourite supermarkets Glasgow has said farewell to

As prices continue to rise on shelves across the country, we’re looking back on some of the long gone supermarkets that once kept us fed.

These days, when we nip to the shops it's normally one of the big six - Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Lidl, Aldi or Sainsburys.

It’s hard to imagine now, but these shops weren’t always at the top of the food chain - and at one point independent grocers were the norm.

READ MORE - Nine things Glasgow folk loved to do in the 90s they can't do any longer

Since the 60s, when supermarkets began to take over, many of our favourite spots for the weekly shop have come and gone - and are sorely missed. We’ve had a look at some of the shops that Glasgow has said goodbye to.

Coopers

First founded in 1871, Cooper & Co’s became one of Scotland’s leading grocery shop chains.

Their flagship store sat at 499 Great Western Road, known for its grand architecture and ornate displays.

While the more well-to-do folks of Glasgow would pick out their groceries in store, the messages would be delivered by bicycle or van - with the bills settled at the end of the month.

Coopers was eventually swallowed up by the Fine-Fare chain, before closing in the 1980s. The grand building operates today as a pub - also called Coopers.

Galbraith and Sons

Based in Paisley, Galbraith and Sons once had over 220 stores - and was regarded as the leading independent grocers in the west of Scotland.

The brand survived until 1987, when it was swallowed up by Safeway.

Unlike many other grocers at the time, no credit was accepted - and the solution at Galbraith’s was to keep prices cheap. The stores were originally served by a single warehouse in Paisley, before a second was added in the city centre and a third in Govan.

Kwik Save

Kwik Save became a common site in Britain, after the first store opened in 1959. By the mid 90s, they had more than 800 stores up and down the country.

Their first Scottish store opened in 1993, only lasting north of the border for around a decade.

The brand announced the closure of 22 shops in Scotland in 2004, with Glasgow losing outlets in Bridgeton, Shettleston, Possil and Govan. Some of their branches were close up completely, while others converted into the Somerfield brand.

Safeway

Safeway brings back a lot of memories for those of a certain age, serving the people of Scotland for just over two decades.

Emerging in the 80s, Safeway was known for low prices and no-nonsense shopping - before Morrisons offered to buy them over.

Not to worry though - Morrisons revived the brand in 2016 for a range of products that are distributed through independent retailers in the country, so Safeway isn’t completely gone.

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Somerfield

First opening in 1875, Somerfield was taken over by the Co-operatve in March 2009.

Originating in Bristol from a grocer named JH Mills, the brand became known as Gateway Foodmarkets. After Gateway began to decline in popularity, it was rebranded as Somerfield.

Many will remember the Somerfield slogans, such as ‘Shopping in the real world’ or ‘Good Food Made Easy.’

By 2011, the Co-op had rebranded all of the Somerfield stores.

Presto

Once known as Moore's supermarkets, Presto took over the company in the mid 70s.

In the late 90s, many Presto outlets converted into Safeway or were closed down.

Eighteen of Presto’s Scottish stores were closed, and Glasgow said goodbye to the retailers in Baillieston, Barrhead, Bearsden, Bridgeton Cross, Campbeltown and Cumbernauld Road.

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