The supermarket revolution - archive, 11 May 1959

11 May 1959: How to prepack highly perishable foodstuffs in an attractive, modern pack is a difficult challenge for retailersPrepacked groceries have been known to us for a number of years, but I well remember, as a very young man in the food trade, their introduction! This brought an outcry, and the trade was told "You will never be successful; you will price yourself out of the market." But they lived, became a success, and have increased their scope. With this success in mind and with the introduction of self-service and supermarkets into this country the retail trade realised that they had an expanding problem on their hands: "How to prepack highly perishable foodstuffs in an attractive, modern pack?" It had to lend itself to self-service, present itself and handle well, give good visibility and at the same time be attractive to the customer. The shopkeeper, the producer, and the wholesaler set to work on this most difficult task - to find suitable packing materials in which to prepack fresh fruit, vegetables, fresh meat, poultry, and provisions. Continue reading...