Sainsbury's Local - History

History

In 1998, Sainsbury’s piloted its first Local store in Hammersmith. The store opened on the busy Fulham Palace Road, and was designed for the convenience of customers who did not have time to do a full food shop. Research showed that people were working longer hours and more women were in employment than ever before. Customers needed to spend less time on chores such as shopping, so local ‘top-up’ shopping was an ideal solution. As well as a large range of ready meals, wines and desserts designed for people on-the-go, the branch also offered hot drinks and freshly baked goods, alongside Sainsbury’s best selling products. The Hammersmith store also had a cash machine and opened until midnight most days of the week. The Sainsbury’s Local store was also groundbreaking in terms of staff training. In most Sainsbury’s stores, colleagues were trained for specific departments. The small size of Sainsbury’s Local stores meant that staff needed a high level of product knowledge across all departments. Keeping in line with the ‘Local’ concept, the Hammersmith store also employed only local people.