Wigan Album

Colin. Why did Kwik Save come to such an abrupt demise? It seemed to have a very good customer base. Are there still any stores still trading?

Colin. This ERF+ the Foden truck cabs were OK for distance
work, but to clumsy for our type of work you could only see
through the driving mirrors there were too many blind spots
the engines were not big enough as well. The DAFS were the
best for our job. D.C.

If you've got a HGV class 1, you should be able to drive anything.

Garry, what derrick means is day-cabs are better for this type of job, than big sleeper-cabs. Derrick can and did drive anything, better than most people around him and could make them go.
Albert watch this space.

Albert: Value foods was founded in 1959 by Welsh entrepreneur Albert Gubay, based in Prestatyn, North Wales. The first store was in Rhyl. Further stores opened in Chester and Wrexham. Value Foods was renamed Kwik Save and by 1967, the company had 13 stores, the first Kwik Save Discount branded store open in Colwyn Bay. In the 1970s and 1980s Kwik Save was a total success opening stores all over the UK. in 1994, Kwik Save acquired 117 supermarkets from Shoprite for £45 million. Kwik Save's stores were small to medium sized high street supermarkets, mainly located in areas with below average incomes, the stores had warehouse style wooden shelves, the chain launched a No Frills brand, Arctic Freezer centres and Liquorsave. Up to the late 1990s the fruit and vegetable and butchery were run by local franchisees. Kwik Save's policy was always be cheap, to pass the savings on to customers. One slogan was "Kwik Save we're cheap, you're cheerful!". In 1998 Kwik Save became part of the Somerfield group when they merged, but Kwik Save was suffering from sharp fall in sales and losses. It struggled to make profits in the 21st century, as Tesco and Sainsbury's introduced their own budget brands, and other discounters such as Lidl and Aldi. In 2007 Kwik Save went into administration. But Kwik Save brand name is back, as from 2012, owned by convenience stores Costcutter, the first store opened in little lever, Bolton. Kwik Save's back, but only in name and not as we know it!

Albert

The Somerfield purchase of Kwik Save for £1.3 billion was one of the most disastrous in corporate history. They never recovered. For a later parallel the Royal Bank of Scotland and the purchase of the Dutch bank ABN Amro.

Thank you, Colin,& K.B. for your very detailed accounts of what the circumstances were, that brought about that sorry situation.

The Co-op bought out Somerfield and now the Co-op is in trouble,what goes around comes around?

The Co-op did buy Somerfield in 2009, for £1.57 billion. It has 3,300 stores and has the biggest geographical spread of any retailor in the UK. The co-op was founded in Rochdale in 1844, it has 100,000 employees and the revenue in 2013 was £10.5 billion. The co-op has 8 distribution depots and 4
satellite depots in the UK. The smaller convenient stores lead the way than the big supermarkets as we know them.

Yes smaller stores are the new generation of shopping today, Asda bought out Netto.

Somerfield took over Kwik Save in a £473 million transaction, billed as a merger in 1998.

A significant eye opener, is, we have certainly learned much of corporate transactions.

I am trying to trace anyone who worked at Ashton depot with jimmy wood from about 1984 to when it closed. It is his 50th birthday soon and I am trying to organize a surprise party, if anyone knew him can they please get in touch. Thanks. Tracy (his wife)

Hi Tracy, which dept did Jimmy work in?

I know he drove a fork lift and as far as I know he picked orders.

Lets hope Jimmy dosen't read this, otherwise the surprise party's gone west, Tracy.