Keymarkets supermarkets

[yurgn29]

Keymarkets was the first supermarket I remember going to regularly in the early 80s when I was a toddler.

Anyone remember them? Their logo was a big yellow key symbol on a blue background. I remember one in Bath and there was a big one near where the Gateshead Metrocentre is now (I think that one survived a little longer than the others). They got taken over by Gateway I think.

[themilkman]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

We had 'Circle K' years ago........can't say I've ever heard of 'Keymarkets'.

[Richard1978]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

I never remember any Keymarkets near me, were they regional?

Circle K seem to be one of the many American chains that didn't catch on over here.

[DemonEyeX]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

Yes !
There was a Key Markets in my town.
I used to go there with my Nan.
It morphed into Gateway, which then morphed into Somerfield.
Then it got knocked down.
Now there is a TK Max and A Costa Coffee there.

I have fond memories of Key Markets though.
It had an off licence built in to a corner, rather than having the alcohol in an isle.
Also it had turnstiles, so only one person could get in at a time.
The first baguette I ever ate came from that supermarket.

[Richard1978]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

I remember a lot of supermarkets had a turnsite at the way in, along with something you could push a trolley through, but couldn't move back due to some plastic flaps hanging down.

[Roxxy]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

Never heared of Keymarkets I'm afraid- I do remember a chain called PriceRite and also VG Stores. PriceRite used to have cute little trolleys, about half the size of standard ones- I had two up until about 20 years ago.
I also remember a catalogue store called Shopper's World, it worked on a similar principle to Argos. Don't think it survived the recession of the early '80s though.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

I'm not familiar with Keymarkets, but I am still itching to know the name of he supermarket we went to when I was very small that had shapes like big orange segments up on the walls. I think it was the only large supermarket near us at the time and was about 10 miles away in Cramlington. If anybody is familiar with the town they might know, or perhaps the description might jog a memory of a chain. This was probably around '79 to '80.

[Richard1978]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

IIRC Shopper's World was owned by Woolworths, but closed when the UK shops were split from the American company, along with the Woolco superstores.

My Dad thought this was an odd move as Argos were becoming popular at the time.

[Gothic]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

There was a Key Market store in Taunton High Street in the 70's, it then became a Gateway store when they took them over. I think it closed and moved across town when they became Somerfield. The site in Taunton High Street is now Iceland.

[escorteclipse1990]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

I remember a lot of supermarkets had a turnsite at the way in, along with something you could push a trolley through, but couldn't move back due to some plastic flaps hanging down.

OMG i remember them, i can picture them now. Those plastic flaps where red.

[Richard1978]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

OMG i remember them, i can picture them now. Those plastic flaps where red.

That's right, I've not seen any for years, some supermarkets in the late 1980s installed some 1 way gates with motion detectors to they would open when walking toward them, but not trying to come the other way. Sainsbury's had this system until the mid 1990s.

[ayrshireman]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

Any supermarket chains that still have them?

[finney]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

Key Markets were Fitch lovell = Worlds & Walkers stores & David Grieg, They went on to be Keymarkets, Their meat division were standalone butchers called West Layton,
Sold to J h dewhurst, Premier Supermarkets were the First supermarkets by a head, They belonged to Express dairies who sold to Unilevers Macfisheries to go with Mac Markets
Macmarkets were sold to the Dee group =Pricerite,Gateway,now the Coop, Fine fare would have been in the mix also.
Little known supermarket in the home counties was Downsway (70) who sold to Fine Fare as Vestey (dewhurst) had to buy two ships for its Blue star line of reefers.
The reason Express sold Premier supermarkets was they needed the cash to develop the new UHT milk coming to market.
Type in Meat Historian on FLICKR for more on the food retail sector,

[darren]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

im certain as i can be we never had any of these supermarkets.

ive never ever seen a somerfield.

first supermarket i remember was stewarts.

its long gone
like 20 yrs.

[edmondrj]

Re: Keymarkets supermarkets

My mum worked on the tills at the Keymarkets store in Lee Green, London, during the 70's. I worked in the evenings after school as a shelf filler, then the occasional Saturday on the baling machine, which compressed and wrapped all the cardboard boxes before they were shipped out as rubbish. Happy days.