Fine Fare
Encyclopedia
Fine Fare was the name of a chain of supermarket
s in the United Kingdom
. It was famous for its Yellow Pack budget own-label
range.
in 1956. It was one of a series of convenience store chains established in the 1950s, the others being Premier and Victor Value
. By 1962 it had 200 shops.
The company was acquired by Associated British Foods
in 1963. ABF appointed James Gulliver
to the post of Chairman of Fine Fare in 1967: he continued to lead the business until 1972.
In 1986, ABF sold the company to The Dee Corporation
(subsequently known as Somerfield
). Following this, all Dee Corporation's newly-acquired stores were rebranded as Gateway or closed, and the Fine Fare name had disappeared by the end of the 1980s.
Fine Fare was perhaps most notable for its sponsorship of the Scottish Football League
which commenced for the 1985-86 season
(beginning August 1985) to the 1987-88 season
(which ended in May 1988, around the same time that the last Fine Fare stores closed).
(Hertfordshire
), East Kilbride
(Lanarkshire
), Washington
(Tyne & Wear), Cheadle Hulme
(Stockport
), Hucknall
(Nottingham
), Tuffley
(Gloucester
) and Aylesford
(Kent
). Shoppers Paradise only depots were at East Kilbride
(Lanarkshire
), Weedon
(Northampton
), Stevenage
(Hertfordshire
) and Alton
(Hampshire
). Washington
also held stocks of non-food items for national distribution. The company conducted a short series of advertisements featuring actor Gordon Jackson
(best known as Mr Hudson
in Upstairs, Downstairs
).
Fine Fare also owned the Melias and Shoppers Paradise chains of convenience stores.
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was famous for its Yellow Pack budget own-label
Private label
Private label products or services are typically those manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's brand. Private label goods and services are available in a wide range of industries from food to cosmetics to web hosting...
range.
History
The company started as a single supermarket in BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
in 1956. It was one of a series of convenience store chains established in the 1950s, the others being Premier and Victor Value
Victor Value
Victor Value was a London-based value supermarket group operating at the lower end of the grocery trade.Old Victor Value stores which survive can often be identified by their distinctive blue and white tiled frontage....
. By 1962 it had 200 shops.
The company was acquired by Associated British Foods
Associated British Foods
Associated British Foods plc is a global food, ingredients and retail company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its ingredients division is the world's second largest producer of both sugar and baker's yeast and a major producer of other ingredients including emulsifiers, enzymes and lactose...
in 1963. ABF appointed James Gulliver
James Gerald Gulliver
James Gerald Gulliver CVO was the founder of Argyll Foods, one of the United Kingdom's largest retail businesses.-Career:...
to the post of Chairman of Fine Fare in 1967: he continued to lead the business until 1972.
In 1986, ABF sold the company to The Dee Corporation
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
(subsequently known as Somerfield
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
). Following this, all Dee Corporation's newly-acquired stores were rebranded as Gateway or closed, and the Fine Fare name had disappeared by the end of the 1980s.
Fine Fare was perhaps most notable for its sponsorship of the Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
which commenced for the 1985-86 season
1985-86 in Scottish football
The 1985–86 season was the 89th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Key events:With Rangers once again failing to mount a title challenge, manager Jock Wallace's second spell as manager ended in April when he was sacked and the club appointed Graeme Souness as player-manager,...
(beginning August 1985) to the 1987-88 season
1987-88 in Scottish football
The 1987–88 season was the 91st season of competitive football in Scotland.-Notable events:Billy McNeill's second spell back in charge of Celtic began in style as they finished the season by winning the double of the league title and Scottish Cup...
(which ended in May 1988, around the same time that the last Fine Fare stores closed).
Operations
Fine Fare's depots were at Welwyn Garden CityWelwyn Garden City
-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...
(Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
), East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
(Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
), Washington
Washington, Tyne and Wear
Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it joined a new county in 1974 with the creation of Tyne and Wear...
(Tyne & Wear), Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle Hulme is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Stockport and southeast of the city of Manchester. It lies in the Ladybrook Valley on the Cheshire Plain, and the drift consists mostly of boulder clay, sands and gravels...
(Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
), Hucknall
Hucknall
Hucknall, formerly known as Hucknall Torkard, is a town in Greater Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, in the district of Ashfield. The town was historically a centre for framework knitting and then for mining but is now a focus for other industries as well providing housing for workers in...
(Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
), Tuffley
Tuffley
Tuffley is one of the 15 wards associated with the City of Gloucester.The ward in non-parished and situated near Robinswood Hill toward the South of the City.The ward has many services, including schools, shops, and parks.-Origins:...
(Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
) and Aylesford
Aylesford
Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, 4 miles NW of Maidstone in England.Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. One pub, a Post Office and four small independent shops remain...
(Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
). Shoppers Paradise only depots were at East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
(Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
), Weedon
Weedon
-Places:In England:*Weedon, Buckinghamshire*Weedon, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire*Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire*Weedon Lois, NorthamptonshireIn Canada:*Weedon, QuebecIn the United States:*Weedon Island, St. Petersburg, Florida-People:...
(Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
), Stevenage
Stevenage
Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1, and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south....
(Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
) and Alton
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
(Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
). Washington
Washington, Tyne and Wear
Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it joined a new county in 1974 with the creation of Tyne and Wear...
also held stocks of non-food items for national distribution. The company conducted a short series of advertisements featuring actor Gordon Jackson
Gordon Jackson (actor)
Gordon Cameron Jackson, OBE was a Scottish Emmy Award-winning actor best remembered for his roles as the butler Angus Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs and George Cowley, the head of CI5, in The Professionals....
(best known as Mr Hudson
Angus Hudson
Angus Hudson was a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs, portrayed by actor Gordon Jackson from 1971 until 1975.-Biography:...
in Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
).
Fine Fare also owned the Melias and Shoppers Paradise chains of convenience stores.