Fine Fare

[almullins]

Re: Fine Fare i worked in fine fare h/o '78-'88 2 depots u missed weedon and stevena

I used to work in the IT department of FF at their head office in Welwyn Garden City. They had depots in Manchester, Nottingham, Gloucester, Maidstone and Washington (Tyne and Wear). I am sure there was another place!

They also owned Shoppers Paradise. Prices were cheaper in these stores. All products were displayed/stacked on the shelves in their transport boxes. Very basic but quick to replenish. None of the products were priced. The staff had to remember the prices of all products and were randomly checked each day.

It was not unknown for a director to stand at the door of Head Office stopping staff if they had a competitors plastic bag of shopping!

Fine fare took over Downsway - an East Anglian supermarket in about 1978.

I really enjoyed my time working for them.

you missed 2 depots weedon and stevenage .. i worked in warehouse a/cs with steve walters

[sixtyten]

Re: Fine Fare

From TV Times 1972... save a whole £1!! most items still with us, apart from Sweetheart dessert

[memoman]

Re: Fine Fare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_Fare

Fine fare was first brought out by somerfield .Check link for full details of history etc.

[old git]

Re: Fine Fare

I remember the shoppers paradise in Wallington,surrey.
Mum and dad used to take me shopping with them every friday after school.I used to hate it at the time lol.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Fine Fare

I used to work in the IT department of FF at their head office in Welwyn Garden City. They had depots in Manchester, Nottingham, Gloucester, Maidstone and Washington (Tyne and Wear). I am sure there was another place!

They also owned Shoppers Paradise. Prices were cheaper in these stores. All products were displayed/stacked on the shelves in their transport boxes. Very basic but quick to replenish. None of the products were priced. The staff had to remember the prices of all products and were randomly checked each day.

It was not unknown for a director to stand at the door of Head Office stopping staff if they had a competitors plastic bag of shopping!

Fine fare took over Downsway - an East Anglian supermarket in about 1978.

I really enjoyed my time working for them.

I remember the Shoppers Paradise in my town. Wouldn't have dared go in because it was central to the 'you're so tredgy you shop in Shoppers Paradise' type bullying at my school. I'm happy to say I love going into these types of shops today. 3 minty aeros for a pound - yes please!

[gilliesd]

Re: Fine Fare

I used to work in the IT department of FF at their head office in Welwyn Garden City. They had depots in Manchester, Nottingham, Gloucester, Maidstone and Washington (Tyne and Wear). I am sure there was another place!

They also owned Shoppers Paradise. Prices were cheaper in these stores. All products were displayed/stacked on the shelves in their transport boxes. Very basic but quick to replenish. None of the products were priced. The staff had to remember the prices of all products and were randomly checked each day.

It was not unknown for a director to stand at the door of Head Office stopping staff if they had a competitors plastic bag of shopping!

Fine fare took over Downsway - an East Anglian supermarket in about 1978.

I really enjoyed my time working for them.

[n3llyo]

Re: Fine Fare

fine fare in rye lane peckham was our friday after school shopping trip (mum allways used to take me and my sister to the british home stores cafe after for a lime milkshake) the uniform was brown the walls were covered in ghastly orange tile and this may have been unique to our fine fares there was a huge mosaic on the far wall by the tills of a cartoon giraffe pushing other comic animals in a shopping trolley (that allways freaked me out)

[Richard1978]

Re: Fine Fare

I didn't realise there were any Fine Fares that side of Stockport, my Mum just used the Hyde one.

[fatpizzaman]

Re: Fine Fare

My mother used to shop at Fine Fare in Manchester back in the 70's. I think there was one in Bramhall and one in Cheadle Hulme. I had no idea that it folded up.

[Star Attraction]

Re: Fine Fare

Can't remember the Fine Fare, but I do remember the Tesco down the bottom of the town before it moved. Mainly because at Xmas it was a bit of alright in the toy department, and there was the little toyshop opposite.

The little toy shop opposite the said Tesco (now Wilkinson) store at the bottom of Middle Street, Yeovil was called Hockeys. I remember that little toy shop, and went in there a fair few times when I was a kid. I've no idea whether it's still there or not.

[Star Attraction]

Re: Fine Fare

(Fine Fare Yeovil) Can't remember the Fine Fare, but I do remember the Tesco down the bottom of the town before it moved. Mainly because at Xmas it was a bit of alright in the toy department, and there was the little toyshop opposite.

Are you referring to the big Tesco that was at the bottom of Middle Street? If so, it first opened summer 1978 and shut spring 1992 when Tesco moved to the big superstore at Huish. Wilkinson took over the resulting empty building in August 1998.

Prior to summer 1978, Tesco was where Boots is now. The ground floor of the main part was the food hall, whereas the bit next-door up (unit 37A) was Tesco wine shop. The Middle Street entrance was the same place as Boots Middle Street entrance is now, though it was different doors and shop front. As you went in the said entrance, the escalator was in front of you where it is now (albeit not the same one, it was a much older one) which led to the first floor - which is where the home 'n' wear dept was. The only staircase for customer use was the one at the front right of the building (just like Boots still has); the back one was then fire exit only, not for customer use as now. Of course the far back bit of the ground floor which is a Quedam unit didn't exist then. Do you remember that Tesco store?

[Star Attraction]

Re: Fine Fare

What about Winfield ? again part of Woolies.

It was a brand name of Woolworths, it disappeared all of a sudden circa mid 1980s.

[stuckinthe80's]

Re: Fine Fare

There was a Fine Fare in Bishop Auckland near to where I was brought up. It was a huge purpose built store. When I was a kid i'd never seen a supermarket as big! I remember the 'Yellow Pack' stuff, the brown sauce in perticular for some reason. I always remember my father said it was like thick brown water in his opinion and yellow pack was a bit of a joke between me an him. It was taken over by Gateway and then Asda. Its a huge Wilkinsons now! We used to go every friday night to do the grocery shopping and I remember we had one of those huge trolly bags that when they were full it took me and my Father to lift it from the car to the house! I also remember buying 3 litre bottles of lemonade from there too. they weighed a ton to me then!

[smurfie1]

Re: Fine Fare

I used to go to fine fare with my parents, I think it was in Woking but could be wrong. I loved it as it had the moving travelator things like you get in airports to take you from the tills to the door.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Fine Fare

Can anyone remember the 'my mums' brand that popped up in a lot of corner shops for a while? All the labels were bright yellow with the contents written in blue hand writing-type script. Think this was probably late 80s.