Grantham Civic Society writes about former Fine Fare supermarket

Fine Fare was a chain of supermarkets operating from 1951 until 1988. In the 1960s it became the largest group in Europe. In 1983 it was the first UK supermarket to sell organic food and was taken over in 1986 by Gateway Foodmarkets.

In 1976, the shop advertised in the Grantham Journal ‘Who else gives you discounts like these? They must be the leanest prices for miles!’

The prices advertised were ‘Soft Margarine 19½p lb tub, Robertons James 24p lb, Prime beef mince 52p lb, Washing up liquid 18p 750ml, Canned soups 12p 15oz, Maxwell House coffee 54p 4oz, Rich Tea biscuits 12p 300g, Kleenex toilet rolls 21p double pack, Dutch potatoes 9p lb.’

The shop was open from Monday to Wednesday between 9am – 5.30pm, on Thursday and Friday 9am - 8pm, and on Saturday 8.30am – 5pm. Free under store car parking was available for 400 to 500 cars and flat escalators allowing access for shopping trolleys.