sainsburys

Sainsbury’s, a British supermarket chain, was founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London .

The company was the largest UK retailer of groceries for most of the 20th century.

In 1903, John James purchased a grocer’s branch, introducing groceries to the business.

By 1922, J Sainsbury was incorporated as a private company .

The company continued to expand, introducing self-service supermarkets in the 1950s and 1960s

In 1973, the company went public as J Sainsbury plc.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Sainsbury’s invested in new technology, expanded into new markets, and diversified its business .

However, the company faced challenges, including the loss of its market leader position to Tesco in 1995 .

Despite this, Sainsbury’s continued to innovate, introducing a retail bank and home delivery service .

In 2005, Sainsbury’s introduced a new brand statement “Try something new today” created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO .

The company also introduced a new informal font in 2005, used in advertising and literature .

In 1999, Sainsbury’s acquired an 80.1% share of Egyptian Distribution Group SAE, but sold it in 2001 due to poor profitability .

In 2000, Sir Peter Davis became CEO, and in 2004, Justin King took over as CEO.

King introduced a three-year recovery plan, “Making Sainsbury’s Great Again”, which included laying off headquarters staff, recruiting shop floor staff, and improving stock availability.

The plan aimed to increase sales revenue by £2.5 billion by 2008.

In 2004, Sainsbury’s acquired 14 shops from Safeway and Morrison’s .

The company also expanded its convenience shop market through acquisitions .

In 2007, Sainsbury’s reported 19 consecutive quarters of sales growth, credited to solving distribution system problems and focusing on fresh and healthy food.

In 2007, a consortium led by CVC Capital Partners made a bid for Sainsbury’s, but it was rejected

Delta Two, a Qatari investment company, later made a bid, but it was also abandoned due to concerns about funding and the company’s pension scheme.

Sainsbury’s became the main sponsor of the 2012 Paralympic Games, selling Paralympic merchandise and participating in high-profile events .

The company sponsored the British Paralympic Association until Rio 2016.

In 2011, Sainsbury’s opened its thousandth self-service shop in Irvine, Scotland, and celebrated by doubling its staff discount .

In 2014, Sainsbury’s completed the purchase of the remaining 50% share in Sainsbury’s Bank, owned by Lloyds Banking Group .

The company also began powering one of its shops using bio methane gas generated from food waste [102].

In 2016, Sainsbury’s acquired Home Retail Group, including Argos and Habitat, for £1.4 billion [104][105].

The acquisition led to the creation of four divisions: core Sainsbury’s food retail, General Merchandising & TU Clothing, Financial Services, and property investments [106].

Throughout 2016 and 2017, Sainsbury’s expanded its multi-channel strategy, increasing its online delivery network and integrating concessions into its shops [107].

Sainsbury’s has operated various businesses and services throughout its history, including:

Hypermarkets: Sainsbury’s operated hypermarkets, including SavaCentres, which offered a range of products, including food, non-food, and services like petrol stations and in-shop cafes [157].

Experimental shops: Sainsbury’s opened experimental shops, such as the “Market” shop in Chelsea, London, which focused on fresh meat, fish, and delicatessen items [161].

Convenience stores: Sainsbury’s operated convenience stores, including a trial with Euro Garages, and later introduced “Sainsbury’s on the Go” stores [182].

Pharmacies: Sainsbury’s operated pharmacies within its supermarkets and hospitals, but sold its pharmacy business to Lloydspharmacy in 2015 [171].

Entertainment: Sainsbury’s operated an entertainment website, which offered films, music, and eBooks, but closed the business in 2016 [175].

Telecommunications: Sainsbury’s operated a mobile phone network, Mobile by Sainsbury’s, but closed the service in 2016 [168].

Comparison and switching service: Sainsbury’s operated a comparison and switching service website, which promoted TV, broadband, and telephone deals [170].

Note: The numbers in square brackets refer to the original citation markers in the text.

Sainsbury’s has a system of employee groups, known as “Great Place To Work Groups”, which meet monthly to discuss working life and company issues.

These groups have a budget for charity donations and employee facilities.

The groups are part of a national structure, with shop-level, regional, and national meetings [229][230][227][231][232].

Sainsbury’s also has a staff association, founded in 1947, which is owned and run by staff, and offers benefits such as discounts and social events [233].

Additionally, the company has a veterans association, which provides benefits to staff who have served 25 years or more [234][235].

Sainsbury’s was established as a partnership in 1869, when John James Sainsbury and his wife Mary Ann opened a shop at 173 Drury Lane in Covent Garden, London.

SAINSBURY’ sign featured on every London shop so that it could be recognised from a distance, and round-the-back deliveries started to add extra convenience and not upset rivals due to Sainsbury’s popularity.

During the 1980s, the company invested in new technology: the proportion of sales passing through EPOS scanning checkouts rose from 1% to 90%

On 25 April 2007, Delta Two, a Qatari investment company, bought a 14% stake in Sainsbury’s causing its share price to rise 7.17%, and increased its holding to 17.6%

In February 2018 Sainsbury’s issued a statement calling a mutual end to the trial: “following a commercial review, a joint decision has been made to bring the trial to a close.” In 2019, the partnership was continued with a new format called “Sainsbury’s on the Go” aimed at travellers, carrying travel and snack products