Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury's new design studio takes the corporate image to a new level by creating an influential 'pop art' style.

Female staff get a swinging new uniform in pale blue Bri-Nylon, designed by the Queen's courturier, Hardy Amies.

With better working conditions and more part-time opportunities, some recruitment begins to be aimed at women.  Equal pay is introduced between 1970 and 1975 and women start to climb the career ladder.

Customers get their first taste of Italy when pasta becomes available in Sainsbury's.

Sainsbury's first deli counter opens in Wandsworth, London, selling everything from pâté to pastries.  In the same year, Britain and Ireland change to decimal currency.  In February 1970, a year before D-Day, the Croydon store became a 'decimal shop'.  Sainsbury's 25,000 workforce is trained here with plastic coins before returning to their branches.

The introduction of checkout scanning brings advantages for customer and retailer: speed, accuracy and the itemised till roll proves popular with both.

The first ready meals are introduced, including three fashionable dinner party dishes: boeuf bourguignon, chicken chasseur and coq au vin.

The Queen Mother, who had never visited a supermarket, is given a guided tour of London's Cromwell Road store by Mr JD Sainsbury.  In her basket are Easter eggs, nail polish and Petit Suisse cheese.

Sainsbury's becomes the first supermarket to sell organically grown fruit and vegetables.

'Everyone's favourite ingredient' campaign launches, featuring celebrities from Ernie Wise to Catherine Zeta Jones reciting their favourite recipes.