'JS Journal', December 1977

Table of content

• Sales ahead but profit margin squeezed
  01

  Sales ahead but profit margin squeezed
  JS ACHIEVED a significant increase in the volume of sales in the
  first half of the 1977/8 financial year, despite the Tesco price war
  and the three-week unofficial depot strike, reported...

• . . . and another at Oldbury
  02

  . . . and another at Oldbury
  HOT ON THE HEELS of SavaCentre's
  Washington venture comes favourable
  news of proposals to build another in
  01dburyL Birmingham. Sandwell District
  Council have asked SavaCentre Ltd to
  submit a...

• Contents Page
  02

  Pages 1-7
  General news
  Pages 8-17
  Features
  Page 18
  Letters
  Pages 19-24
  People

• Farewell to Clapham
  02

  Farewell to Clapham
  SAYING GOODBYE is usually hard to
  do but loyal supporters of Clapham's
  staff association had no difficulties when
  their local section of the SSA held its
  farewell disco-dance to mark its closedown
  on...

• White Christmas in Petts Wood?
  02

  White Christmas in Petts Wood?
  JS FREEZER CENTRES are blossoming
  in South East London. Hard on the
  heels of the Eltham centre (opened on
  September 27) comes a new one in Petts
  Wood—opening on December 6. The 201 square...

• 7-up and out
  03

  7-up and out
  THE EXPRESS CHECKOUT experiment,
  conducted over the last three
  months in six stores, has proved successful.
  Although the new scheme is still being
  carefully monitored more stores will be
  introducing the quick...

• Dating Miss JS
  03

  Dating Miss JS
  ONE WAY of prolonging the festive
  season well into the new year is to buy a
  couple of tickets for the SSA's annual
  dinner dance on February 25. The venue
  is the West Centre Hotel, London, and
  the highspot of...

• Facing the fiery furore
  03

  Facing the fiery furore
  THE FIRST DAY ofthe firemen's strike
  rang alarm bells in JS's Blackpole branch.
  The national emergency prompted manager
  David Butolph to arrange an instore
  fire practice, but things didn't go
  quite as...

• Northern push gets big response
  03

  Northern push gets big response We report on the response to
  the JS campaign for more
  sites m the North.
  A FLOOD of letters and phone calls has
  been pouring into the JS estates office in
  reply to last month's advertisement...

• Swim-in help for Rugby
  03

  Swim-in help for Rugby
  RUGBY'S DOGGED ATTEMPTS to
  provide a guide dog for ex-employee
  Lynda McElroy (reported in October's
  Journal) have borne fruit. An overwhelming
  response to the tale of their efforts has
  enabled them to...

• All set for the party
  04

  All set for the party
  'THE MAIN ATTRACTION of the
  Party Set is that you don't have to use it at
  parties.' So says David Queen, JS hardware
  manager, who is responsible for
  introducing this versatile addition to the
  hardware...

• Brandy snip
  04

  Brandy snip
  CLEVERLY TIMED for Christmas is
  the new own label French brandy which is
  now on sale in JS stores. The beers, wines,
  and spirits department believe this is the
  first own-label brandy on sale in...

• 'Chantilly' lace, a pretty face
  04

  'Chantilly' lace, a pretty face
  A COORDINATED COLLECTION of
  sheets, bedspreads, and curtains is the
  latest addition to the JS textiles range. Ten stores have introduced the new
  bedroom accessories which include
  polyester...

• ... the goose is getting fat!
  04

  ... the goose is getting fat!
  THE CHRISTMAS RUSH is only just
  starting in our high streets, but in the
  poultry buying department in Stamford
  House preparations are in full swing for
  keeping stores well stocked with...

• Cooking lamb the NZ way
  05

  Cooking lamb the NZ way
  ANTIPODEAN culinary delights are a
  feature of this new cook book currently
  being sold in all JS stores. It includes a
  good variety of recipes for making the
  best use of your lamb, together with
  useful...

• JS wine makes the grade
  05

  JS wine makes the grade
  1,600 BOTTLES OF WINE could be an
  alcoholic's daydream or a temperance
  nightmare, but this was the formidable
  quantity of booze that confronted the
  compilers of the 1978 'Good Wine
  Guide'. Covering...

• Pudding pundits say yes to JS
  05

  Pudding pundits say yes to JS
  RECOMMENDED in Good Housekeeping
  magazine is the JS Christmas
  pud. Between mouthfuls of Fortnum and
  Mason's posher pudding and a homemade
  economical pudding, the
  magazine's pudding pundits...

• Which? value what store where
  05

  Which? value what store where
  FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
  are cheapest at Sainsbury's, according to
  the latest report on supermarket prices
  by the consumer magazine Which? Over
  the year the report also points...

• Beer stock shock
  06

  Was that one lump or two. Sir'!'
  Beer stock shock
  STOCK ON THE ROCKS isn't a misprint,
  it's the request of John Ugoji of
  Nigeria. Mr Ugoji wrote to the company
  after he had tasted JS stock cubes, given
  to him by a friend...

• Driving a hard bargain
  06

  Driving a hard bargain
  A NEW LOW PRICE for petrol was
  announced by JS last month. The four
  stores with filling stations—Blackpole,
  Lord's Hill, Coldham's Lane and Sutton
  Coldfield, will now sell four star fuel at
  71 p per...

• Metric bread means bigger loaves
  06

  Metric bread means bigger loaves THE LOAF you're used to using will be
  getting bigger next year. No, that doesn't
  mean an increase in brain size, merely
  that the standard loaf of bread is being
  metricated.
  At present, loaves...

• That's my size, eggsactly
  06

  That's my size, eggsactly THE EUROPEAN EGG made its debut
  in JS stores on November 14. In common
  with other major retailers JS introduced
  the new egg sizes to conform with EEC
  regulations.
  The conversion chart (see above)...

• Tights across the ocean
  06

  Tights across
  the ocean
  TIGHTS STRETCH FARTHER than
  you think. Bretton branch has even been
  selling JS tights as far afield as Illinois,
  USA. The regular long distance sale is to one
  of JS's most far-flung customers,...

• That's the wonder of Walsall
  07

  That's the wonder of Walsall
  WALSALL RULES OK. At least that's
  what branch manager Peter Purslow
  would have us believe. His store is a
  regular contributor to the JS Journal
  news pages. This month however he supplied
  us with...

• SHOP THIEF!
  08

  SHOP THIEF!
  The shoplifter tram
  her own bag. To Jo;
  sign and she alerts t
  sfar 1 rs a bottle of wine to
  this is a suspicious
  assistant manager. At the till. The suspect pays for the goods
  wine. When Joan sees that no...

• Fulfilling an Arctic Role
  09

  Fulfilling an Arctic Role
  Just the job
  Our occasional series on some
  of the varied jobs within JS
  visits the coldest spot in
  Charlton depot. A BRACING ATMOSPHERE is all part
  of the job for coldstore chargehand...

• The half-time story
  10

  The half-time story
  JS chairman John
  Sainsbury talks to the
  editor of the JS Journal
  about the background to
  the first half results for
  1977 The chairman on the shopfloor at SavaCentre. Editor: All things considered, our...

• Ealing's magnificent eleven
  11

  Ealing s magnificent eleven NEARLY TWO CENTURIES of service
  to JS were represented when 87
  Ealing said goodbye to 11 long serving
  ladies. At a party in the canteen on
  November 12 the ladies were presented
  with small tokens of...

• Instant deal means cut-price coffee at JS
  11

  Instant deal means cut-price coffee at JS
  INSTANT COFFEE is down in price at
  Sainsbury's. On November 21 'Vendona'
  brand instant coffee went on sale in JS
  stores at only 98p. This compares with the
  low margin price of £1.38...

• key to success
  12

  key to success
  A PHENOMENAL SUCCESS was the
  verdict as the SavaCentre computer worked
  out the first day's takings on November
  15. The final total, which included
  takings from the petrol station and the
  restaurant exceeded...

• ... how it all began
  14

  ... how it all began
  Readers of the 'Sunday Express' were
  recently treated to an apocryphal account
  of the formation of SavaCentre.
  Apparently JS and BHS had exactly
  the same idea two years ago and according
  to the story,...

• The JS connection
  14

  The JS connection
  AS THE TENSION MOUNTED on
  opening morning, SavaCentre's grocery
  manager, Bryn Page was cool, calm, and
  collected. Bryn, who used to manage
  Sainsbury's Camberley branch has found
  his thorough JS training has...

• The place, the people, and...
  14

  The place, the people, and...
  PLAYING HOST to the new SavaCentre
  is a new town with a difference. Although
  Washington's history goes back a long
  way the new town came into existence in
  1964 when the first plans were made.
  By...

• The way to a customer's heart
  14

  The way to a customer's heart
  DUCK A L'ORANGE is just one of the
  gastronomic delights the SavaCentre restaurant
  will be serving to its customers.
  And manager David Thompson has
  plenty of mouth watering ideas for making
  his...

• Bachelor confirmed
  15

  John Holland
  Bachelor confirmed
  UNDER THE WHITE HAT of refrigeration
  engineer, John Holland, is a
  superbrain trying to get out. John, who
  works at Basingstoke depot, has just
  become a bachelor of science after three
  years'...

• Golden final for Bristol ladies
  15

  Golden final
  for Bristol ladies THE BULLSEYE BEAUTIES of Bedminster
  branch were on fine form last
  month when they received a silver trophy
  for their prowess at darts.
  The nine strong team had won the
  Watney League (Bristol)...

• Meet the champ from Bath
  15

  Meet the champ from Bath
  DON'T GET THROWN by Bath's Val
  Leach. She's a judo expert, and you might
  end up with a little more than cuts and
  bruises.
  Val, 22, fresh meat assistant at Bath
  branch, has been with JS for four...

• Our man from Beeston lines up for the Duke
  15

  Our man from Beeston lines up for the Duke
  THEY'RE ALL ROYALISTS at Beeston
  branch, or at least they have been
  since manager John Old and chief clerk
  Mavis Jones were presented to the Duke
  of Edinburgh a few weeks back.
  The...

• CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN
  16

  THERE ARE TIGERS and there are crag-rats. Tigers are
  intrepid mountaineers. Crag-rats are what mountaineers
  call rock climbers who are more acrobatic than intrepid.
  Peter Lappage is a tiger.
  For the past 30 years Peter, who...

• Your letters
  18

  Your letters
  Letters are welcome and should be
  addressed to the editor. Accidental threesome
  From: W J Bridgman, JS veteran
  When working at the now closed St Albans
  branch, I had occasion to descend to
  the basement warehouse...

• JS carries Scotch to the Scottish
  19

  JS carries Scotch to the Scottish
  T MISS YOUR SCOTCH BROTH in
  packets' wrote a customer recently.
  Nothing unusual in that. Every day head
  office gets dozens of letters from people
  saying they love, like or loathe, this,...

• Poetry of motion pictures
  19

  Poetry of motion pictures
  ONE MAN'S MEAT is another man's
  advert, or that's how it seemed when a
  film crew invaded the fresh meat preparation
  room in Wood Green branch. The
  cameramen were there to make one of the
  TV...

• The Fathers collection
  19

  The Fathers collection
  TROOPING THE COLOUR only happens
  once a year for the Queen, but Cyril
  Fathers can set one up whenever he pleases.
  Cyril, warehouse serviceman at Redhill
  branch, has 585 carefully painted
  model soldiers...

• Appointments
  20

  Appointments
  D Silverman, formerly deputy manager of
  Upminster, has been appointed manager
  following the recent retirement of J
  Crane.
  H Bruton, formerly deputy manager of
  Basingstoke, has been appointed manager
  of...

• Long service
  20

  Long service
  Bob Warner, grocery manager, Basingstoke
  depot, celebrated 40 years with the
  company on October 25.
  Mr Warner started as a salesman at
  North End Road,Fulham, transferring to
  Battersea, 147 Balham and 67...

• A watch in time...
  21

  A watch in time...
  MISSING the 25 club dinner on October
  10 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London,
  was disappointing enough for Laurence
  Turney, manager at Colchester, but staying
  at home nursing an illness and not a
  gold...

• Obituary
  21

  Obituary
  Edna Spencer, part-time cashier, Leicester,
  died on September 29. Prior to her
  death she had been ill for nine months.
  Mrs Spencer had been with the company
  for 12 years all of which had been
  spent at the one...

• Retirements
  21

  Retirements
  Gordon Kensett, an engineer at Woking
  area office, retired on September 17 after
  31 years with the company.
  Mr Kensett started at JS as an electrical
  engineer at Union Street. Later he transferred
  to the branch...

• From meat . . . to Wurst
  22

  From meat . . . to Wurst
  NO BED OF ROSES' is how T G 'Pete'
  Cima describes his career with JS. Pete,
  delicatessen specialist at Blackfriars, retired
  on November 11 after 41 years with
  the company, and left amid the...

• George plans American spring
  22

  George plans American spring
  THE HUMAN TOUCH is the secret of
  successful retailing, according to produce
  manager George Martin, who retired on
  November 4. George has been giving JS
  customers his own brand of personal
  service...

• Eddie's full life on the open road
  23

  Eddie's full life on the open road
  'TIME HAS FLOWN' says Basingstoke
  driver, Eddie Duncan, who retired on
  November 4 after a grand total of 48
  years with the company.
  Eddie joined Sainsbury's when he was
  16 and worked in the...

• SavaCentre closes Bill's career
  23

  SavaCentre closes Bill's career
  CHRISTMAS ON THE BEACH is one
  of Bill Ponter's plans for his retirement on
  November 4. But he won't be freezing on
  the pebbles at Brighton. He and his
  wife Alice will be soaking up the sun...

• ARCHIVES QUIZ
  24

  ARCHIVES QUIZ
  . . . • • • • • • : •• . . •••
  Try your luck with the JS Archives multiple guesswork quiz!
  £5 of JS vouchers are to be won!
  Send your entry to Honor Godfrey at Blackfriars by December...

• STOP PRESS
  24

  STOP PRESS
  More conflicting evidence on the triangular mystery object published
  in the October issue of the Journal. Mrs Fowler, an octogenarian
  customer at Leamington Spa, told the branch that the dishes
  contained hors...