SavaCentre
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| Founded | 1977 |
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| Defunct | 2005 |
| Owner | Sainsbury's (50:50 joint venture with BHS (1977–89)) |
SavaCentre was a chain of 13 hypermarkets and later a further seven discount supermarkets operated by Sainsbury's and BHS, beginning in 1977. Sainsbury's later operated the stores alone beginning 1989, renaming them Sainsbury’s SavaCentre, to 2005 when the stores were integrated into the Sainsbury's supermarket brand. The hypermarket stores ranged in size from 66,000 sq ft (6,100 m2) to 117,000 sq ft (10,900 m2) and the discount supermarkets ranged in size from 31,000 sq ft (2,900 m2) to 70,000 sq ft (6,500 m2). At the time of its inception, it was the only dedicated hypermarket chain in the UK.
In the 1970s, the then chairman and chief executive of Sainsbury’s, John Davan Sainsbury (later Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover), realised the threat from the emergence of hypermarkets, such as those being built by the French retailer Carrefour. The initial response by Sainsbury’s was a 50:50 joint enterprise with British Home Stores, set up on 9 December 1975 as Sabre Hypermarkets Limited, which was changed to Savacentre Limited on 31 December 1976.
These stores carried the complete range of Sainsbury’s and British Home Stores products along with electrical goods like refrigerators, washing machines, audio and TV equipment. Typical counters included delicatessen and fresh fish counters, an in-store bakery, a restaurant and half the stores' sales areas were devoted to textiles, electrical goods and hardware. The stores also featured a petrol filling station and some stores had over 1,000 car parking spaces. Following Sainsbury's launch of its home improvements venture, Homebase, in 1981, home and gardening products featured in SavaCentre stores. Following the 1986 merger between Habitat Mothercare and British Home Stores to create Storehouse plc, baby care products were also sold in SavaCentre stores.
The first SavaCentre opened at The Galleries, Washington, Tyne and Wear, on 15 November 1977, with 70,000 sq ft (6,500 m2) of sales area, and the slogan "The store with more for less.". This store was extended by a further 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) to 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2) in 1986. On 17 October 1978, the second SavaCentre opened in the Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre off Junction 4 of the M2 Motorway in Hempstead, Kent. At the opposite end of the Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre a Presto (UK supermarket) opened, which later became a Safeway store. Following Sainsbury's buyout of Storehouse plc's 50% stake in SavaCentre in 1989, the British Home Stores branch is now located in the former Safeway store, following Safeway's 2004 acquisition by Morrisons.
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