Step back in time to when this Sainsbury’s store first opened in 1972 – and customers could get free petrol

Opening their very first Sainsbury’s shop on London’s Drury Lane in 1869, John James Sainsbury and his wife Mary Ann could have hardly imagined their legacy would continue more than 150 years on.Over the century-and-a-half since that first store opened, the Sainsbury’s name withstood two world wars and major technological developments to get to where it is today – with more than 1,400 supermarkets across the UK, three of which are in West Norfolk.Courtesy of The Sainsbury Archive, London Museum Docklands, we’re able to transport you back in time to take a look back at the supermarket in Lynn’s St Dominic’s Square over the years.

The earliest photo we have of this store is from the day that it opened – November 14, 1972.Pictures from that day show staff handing out baskets to people who would have been among the first shoppers at the new store.Signs advertised free petrol for the week – if customers spent £3 or more on family shopping, they would get a free voucher for one gallon of four-star petrol.

A newspaper advert proof promoting the new store at the time said the voucher could be exchanged at Bird & Varney Ltd on Railway Road. The advert – which had the slogan ‘Good food costs less at Sainsbury’s’ – said: “We tried to plan it so that your shopping is easier and quicker (and more pleasant) than before.“So the gangways are wide and the shelves are arranged so that you can see everything clearly and quickly. “There are 14 twin-bay checkouts to speed up your shopping. And absolutely everything you need including wines and spirits and household goods.

“So you can, if you like, do a week’s shopping in one go. Easily, quickly and comfortably.“And economically, of course. We make sure that everything is top value for money and up to your (and our) high standards of quality.“Do come and look! There’s ample car parking alongside the store.” Shopping hours on the ad show that the supermarket was shut on Sundays and Mondays, while it was open from 8.30am until 5.30pm Tuesday to Thursday, 8.30am until 8pm on Fridays and 8.30am until 4pm on Saturdays.

Another advert in the Lynn News and Advertiser the following month showed special ‘supersave’ offers that week including Argentine chilled rump steak for 59p per pound, Hortex pickled onions were 18p for a 30 fluid-ounce jar, a four-can pack of Sainsbury’s cola cost 19p and Sainsbury’s whisky, Beefeater gin and Bardinet brandy were all £2.50 a bottle.A few months after the then-called ‘J Sainsbury’ branch had opened, reporter Simon Smith and cameraman Bruce Fleming asked shoppers: “How much do you really save at Sainsbury’s?” for an advert in the Lynn News and Advertiser in February 1973.Lynn resident Mrs Harvey said: “I save roughly £1 a week by shopping at Sainsbury’s. I do practically all my shopping here – they have so many things I’ve never seen in other shops. I think it’s a lovely store.”

“We came here especially for the meat – the prices are cheaper than normal butchers’. And we were just looking at the ginger ales,” said Mr and Mrs Graves, of Shouldham.“We bought four at another supermarket yesterday for 5 and a half pence each. Here you can get four for 17 and a half pence. That’s quite a saving for a start.” And Mrs K Grant, of Lynn, said: “My first impression of Sainsbury’s is that the selection is marvellous. It’s a bright store, it’s roomy and you can see everything.“Sainsbury’s seem to have all the little odds and ends that you probably couldn’t get anywhere else.”

In the summer of 1980, staff had their picture taken after completing a sponsored walk for Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cancer Scanning Appeal Fund.Moving to January 1981, and Sainsbury’s was assessing the competition in the town – where there was also a Tesco shop, a Key Markets and a potential site for a Co-op.Other images from the same year show a busy Sainsbury’s car park and town centre, with shoppers out and about near the St Dominic’s Square store. The pictures also show nearby shops, including Baxter’s butchers. Penny’s greeting cards and party shop, Victoria Wine and Health Shop.

The store remains open to this day, and celebrated its 50th year in 2022, with a visit from then-borough mayor Lesley Bambridge.A lot has changed over the almost-52 years since it first opened, with inflation meaning prices are vastly different and a free petrol offer could only be dreamt about. The store now also has a different layout, with new technology and other brands can also be found within the same building including Argos and Timpson.In that time, Lynn News photographers and reporters have also been on the scene to snap occasions such as fundraisers and special celebrity visits, including from Paralympian Jody Cundy – who grew up in Walpole St Andrew – after the Games in 2012.

West Norfolk has two other Sainsbury’s stores, in Scania Way on Lynn’s Hardwick Retail Park which opened in November 2012, and another in Westgate, Hunstanton, which opened in March 2007.The Lynn News has also reported on many fundraising occasions at these shops over the years, including a year-long partnership with Little Discoverers at the Hardwick branch in 2014 and a collaboration with the Hunstanton Sea Life conservation group at the town’s branch in 2013.

Do you have any memories of these Sainsbury’s stores over the years? Let us know by emailing: newsdesk@lynnnews.co.uk

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