J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury’s, is the second-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 16.0% share of the supermarket sector.
Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company became the largest retailer of groceries in 1922. In 1995, Tesco overtook Sainsbury’s to become the market leader, which has since been ranked second or third, being overtaken by Asda from 2003 to 2014, and again in 2019. In 2018, a planned merger with Asda was blocked by the Competition and Markets Authority over concerns of increased prices for consumers.
| Format | Number | Total area (m²) |
Total area (sq ft) |
Mean area (m²) |
Mean area (sq ft) |
Percentage of space |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 608 | 1,971,000 | 21,210,000 | 3,240 | 34,885 | 92 % |
| Convenience shops | 820 | 179,675 | 1,934,000 | 219 | 2,360 | 8 % |
| Total | 1,428 | 2,150,000 | 23,144,000 | – | – | 100 % |
Fun fact: Sainsbury’s archive of over 16,000 items relating to the business since its foundation is now kept at the Museum of London. The archive is rich in product packaging and advertising content.
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