When did supermarkets first appear in Burnley.
Maypoles, was this a chain of large shops resembling a supermarket.

Redmans or Co-op probably.

Good thread.

I think Safeway was probably the first, in the 60s. In the building across from the bus station and next to the roundabout.

As far as I recall, he first national supermarket to appear was Safeway under the office block opposite the Keirby in the early 1960s. I remember going to see an aunt and uncle in Brierfield and they had come back from a trip there with some exotic cheeses (from France!) and best of all, some popping corn! They explained how you went round the aisles with a basket and paid at the end -- most bizarre!

Marks & Spencer put their toe in the food market by having a very small section of the Burnley store displaying non-perishable foods. Can't remember exactly what, except for som chocolate wafer biscuits that I grew to like.

In the 80’s I think that I remember a place called Leo’s at the bottom of Standish Street I think?

How about Moneysave supermarket on Croft street opposite the bus station? It was there in the early 60’s and before Safeway arrived in the mid-60’s. I’ve a vague memory of going there with my Mum and being amazed by all the tins being sold from high stacks of cardboard boxes; well the stacks looked high to me!

MRG wrote:In the 80’s I think that I remember a place called Leo’s at the bottom of Standish Street I think?

It was where the Pioneer car park is now.

Taskers behind \ underneath the Palace\ Grand on St James St (and opposite Websters) would have been an early one- though not sure that continental cheese would have figured there!!

Coopers? was buit in the mid 60s on St James St after the demolition of the Grand block - later became Tesco - is now Mc Donalds

Dont think we ever had a Maypole .... they were a Yorkshire outfit if I recall.

Moneysave was previosly Collinges ironmongers? not sure that it would have been a supermarket as easly as the 1960's?

8...I worked at 'MonkeySlave' [6.00 pm - 10.00 pm] when I was in the 6th Form, along with plenty of other lads from St Teds, the Grammar School, and Towneley.

I could tell some stories about that place, but I'd get in trouble - we had some laughs though..

Was the original Safeway next to where McDonald's is now?

Tasker's was also around in the 1960's.

Edit - already answered above.

Moneysave was seventies. I remember going on a Saturday morning with my mum to help her carry all the bags back on the bus. Sometimes she would drag me down to hitchens for a new tank top beforehand. Happy days.

gawthorpe_view wrote:Was the original Safeway next to where McDonald's is now?

Tasker's was also around in the 1960's.

Edit - already answered above.

Tescos where McDonald's was ...definitely before Safeway they even sold jeans.. Tesco bombers. Taskers the first supermarket by quite a way. Safe ways seventies as was money save.

Didn't Taskers finish up on Plumbe Street, end on to The Miners, with access either down the side of The Miners or the back street off Yorkshire Street down the side of UDA ? (Remember them ?)

Funkydrummer wrote:Didn't Taskers finish up on Plumbe Street, end on to The Miners, with access either down the side of The Miners or the back street off Yorkshire Street down the side of UDA ? (Remember them ?)

Correct they were there 1968

Wasn't there are Carlines down the side of the bus station

MRG wrote:In the 80’s I think that I remember a place called Leo’s at the bottom of Standish Street I think?

We used to catch the Leo's free bus from Nelson.

Great information... na then... which had meat departments.
This is all to do with why Bob Lord's meat business declined.

Another vote for Safeways near the bus station; that's the first one I remember going into (early-mid 60s?).
After only ever going in local corner shops to buy weighed out butter, cheese, tea etc Safeways seemed a cornucopia. All sorts of exotic fruit & veg (say, peppers and courgettes) together with a "vast" array of packaged groceries.
What we then perceived as a wide range of goodies would be laughed at now with what's available in even fairly modest supermarkets.

Pretty sure Safeways sold fresh meat and Leo's when it arrived. Taskers I remember as "dry" goods, tins and stuff. I can just imagine The Lord getting a right monk on when these upstarts started encroaching upon his territory.

Rodleydave wrote:Great information... na then... which had meat departments.
This is all to do with why Bob Lord's meat business declined.

You should blame Halal for the decline of his meat business. That would cause some lively discussion.

Oobidoo?

(At least) 3 Co-ops in Padiham when I was a kid. Peel St, Shakespeare St and Burnley Road across from the Padiham Building Society.

Redman's, Co-Ops were larger grocery stores.
I'd go for Taskers at rear of The Palace - first one I can remember where you didn't go to a counter but put your things in a basket (no trollies then) and took em to a checkout - my definition of a (self-service) supermarket.
Can't remember when it moved to Plumbe St but it was already there when we got married in 71.

For some bizarre reason I was at the opening of Leo's and got Johnny Briggs autograph!!

RingoMcCartney wrote:Oobidoo?

I wanna be like you-oo-oo

hampsteadclaret wrote:8...I worked at 'MonkeySlave' [6.00 pm - 10.00 pm] when I was in the 6th Form, along with plenty of other lads from St Teds, the Grammar School, and Towneley.

I could tell some stories about that place, but I'd get in trouble - we had some laughs though..

I worked at 'Moneysave' as a 6th former as well Hampstead, I was one of the Grammar school lads, circa 1975.

Used to work Thursday evenings and all day Saturday for the princely sum of £0.40p an hour before a transfer to rivals 'Safeways' in a big money move which almost doubled my wages to £0.70p an hour!

Happy days

Taskers was the first supermarket in Burnley. They also had a smaller store in Brierfield.

The only thing I recall about Safeways was that it had automatic doors. Never previously seen in Burnley. People stood outside watching them open and close and marvelled at the new technological age we were entering. Early 1960s.

Bangers&Mash wrote:I wanna be like you-oo-oo

Believe me mate. You really don't on't on't!

My first recollection was a Taskers selves service store on Westgate, in the fifties. I vividly remember it being between Ashfield Rd and Clifton St

i think the bigger ones came around early 70's, like asda at colne

Bfc wrote:My first recollection was a Taskers selves service store on Westgate, in the fifties. I vividly remember it being between Ashfield Rd and Clifton St

That was Taylors supermarket. I went to school with his son David

MRG wrote:In the 80’s I think that I remember a place called Leo’s at the bottom of Standish Street I think?

Seem to recall a TV jingle too of "Lee lee lee lee lee Leo's, you've gotta go!"

This got me thinking about Bacup.

Mid seventies there was a Safeway on the corner of Union Street/King Street which I think was fairly new and had a name change not long after. There was also a Co-Operative towards the bottom of Union Street which appeared much older.

In Burnley around the same time there was the M&S just down from Angels but my dear late grandad used to make the journey to Tesco Irlam so I guess there wasn't an equivalent any nearer.

Godalmingclaret wrote:For some bizarre reason I was at the opening of Leo's and got Johnny Briggs autograph!!

That was in the days when Corry "stars" regularly made good bunce by making personal appearances at events. I once hired Vera Duckworth to make at appearance at the relaunch of a motor dealership in Stockport and I remember we paid her well over a grand for an appearing for around an hour one Saturday morning. That was about 20 odd years ago!

Safeway: As a small kid, I used to love their automatic change dispenser on every till. The cashier would press the appropriate buttons and the coins would fall into a bowl to be scooped up. Then off to the El Greco for an ice cream before the bus home !

Safeway (no s) I think opened in 1965. I remember visiting it on an open night and being amazed to see a fresh pineapple. Soon after I started working there at weekends whilst at BGS. I left for a short time only to return in 1967 to stay for almost forty years and going on to manage about 12 of the Safeway stores around the country. I have to say also that post 36 is mistaken as there was never a Safeway in Bacup.

karatekid wrote:Moneysave was seventies. I remember going on a Saturday morning with my mum to help her carry all the bags back on the bus. Sometimes she would drag me down to hitchens for a new tank top beforehand. Happy days.

Not forgetting Fosters

H,t,comb, I may have got the name wrong (Taskers/Taylors), but do you think that this could've been in the late 50s and maybe the first super market type shop in Burnley?.

Great thread - hopefully won’t be ruined.

We only moved to the area in 1985, but I can remember the only supermarket choices being Leo’s/ Pioneer (co-op) Sainsbury’s and Kwik Saves.

I’m amazed nobody has written a book on the mistakes the Co-op made, across the UK for a long time they led everything from food to funerals. Still got a lot of stores now but they had the chance to own the UK grocery market and blew it.

Hendrickxz - Elsie Tanner (Pat Pheonix) opened the show house on Wilkie Ave/Fairways Drive estate. Was either Barrett's or Leech's site - can't remember which.

I remember watching them building Leos.

I remember going in one called Always in the mid sixties with my Mum. It was in the building which is now a bar, Paradise Island or whatever its called nowadays

Bfc wrote:H,t,comb, I may have got the name wrong (Taskers/Taylors), but do you think that this could've been in the late 50s and maybe the first super market type shop in Burnley?.

Yes could be A R I left junior school In 1962 and D Tailors Dad sold the shop that year. I don't think it was called Taylors but somebody from that area might remember the name. I know a guy's mum who worked there, his name was Pete Moran

There are some bloody old buggers on this thread!

In the 60's as I remember, the supermarket was where that white building with a bar/club is, further down Bull St. from the old Express offices and the car park was where the red brick ex-dole office is.

Just seen the above post and can concur. I think it might have been 'Safeways.'

Venturing further afield, I'm pretty sure that the first Supermarket in Nelson was Barmy Mick's.

Chobulous wrote:I think Safeway was probably the first, in the 60s. In the building across from the bus station and next to the roundabout.

It's where Calico is now but there was a Safeway on St. James' Street before then, roughly where McDonald's is now.