Sainsbury’s

The Sainsbury Archive documents the history of one of the nation's oldest retailers from when it was founded in London in 1869, through to present day.  It also provides a unique illustration of the transformation that has occurred in retailing and in shopping and eating habits since the mid-19th century.

The Archive is located at the Museum of London in Docklands and is open to the public. Visitors can view displays from the collection and browse a range of digital and paper-based resources from the library and archives, including reference books, image files, films and journals covering the history of Sainsbury's and shopping and the history of the docks and the local area. The separate search room is open by appointment for more in-depth research using material from the archive collections.

Learn more about the archive by visiting the Museum of London Dockland’s website.

• Museumindocklands.org.uk

Story of a Supermarket

You can see highlights from the Sainsbury Archive online by visiting the
'Story of a Supermarket' website.

This replaces our Virtual Museum educational site which was created in 1998. Much of the material from the old site has been retained, but users can now access a wealth of additional information and images from the archive, through the themes of People, Places, Products and Progress. The site also includes material for schools which supports the National Curriculum at KS2, along with quizzes, old-fashioned packaging to make and other activities for family learning.

For further information please email us at sainsburyarchive@museumoflondon.org.uk,
or call 020 7001 9852.