Stewarts Supermarket Limited: Difference between revisions
This is the proper and accurate portrayal of my father, Joseph Lowry Stewart, founder of Stewarts cash Stores |
Reverted 1 good faith edit by Lowry Stewart using STiki |
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[[Image:StewartsHolywood.jpg|250|right|thumb|A Stewarts off-licence in [[Holywood]], [[County Down]]]] |
[[Image:StewartsHolywood.jpg|250|right|thumb|A Stewarts off-licence in [[Holywood]], [[County Down]]]] |
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'''Stewarts Supermarket Limited''' (traded as '''Stewarts''' and '''Crazy Prices''') was a supermarket chain in [[Northern Ireland]]. The chain was purchased by [[Tesco]] in 1997. |
'''Stewarts Supermarket Limited''' (traded as '''Stewarts''' and '''Crazy Prices''') was a supermarket chain in [[Northern Ireland]]. The chain was purchased by [[Tesco]] in 1997. |
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Stewart’s Cash Stores |
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Joseph Lowry Stewart was born in 1881 and educated at Creevycarnonan, a townland near Crossgar, Co Down. His family were Presbyterian farming stock, originating from west Scotland. At the age of 14 he became an apprentice grocer, first in the Markets area of Belfast and then in two spells at Agnes Street. |
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Stewart opened his first store at 334 Beersbridge Road in east Belfast on September 30, 1911. He acquired four adjacent properties in subsequent years and transformed them into Stewart’s Cash Stores, the name given to all his future establishments. Bakery and grocery goods were the main focus of his trade and so successful was his business that, by the late 1920s, he was unable to satisfy customer demand on the premises. In 1929 he opened a new bakery at the Greenville Road, which in turn was extended into a warehouse, offices and workshop. By the time he sold his company to the Weston’s in the mid 1930s, Joe Stewart owned over 70 stores around Northern Ireland, the second principal one being located at the Newtownards Road. |
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The sale of his stores to Garfield Weston made him a millionaire, but he was so dedicated to his trade that he stayed on as managing director until forced to retire on his seventieth birthday. The company removed his nameplate from the door as the only means of conveying to him that he had to leave! With the arrival of Don Tidey, the company name was altered to Stewart’s Supermarkets, and the family name eventually disappeared in the 1990s with the absorption by Tescos. |
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The businessman and family man |
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Joe Stewart displayed considerable personal integrity. Many people believed that as Northern Ireland’s principal grocer, he could circumvent rationing during the second world war, but, in fact, Stewart annoyed his wife by returning any unused portion of the family’s butter ration and was scrupulous with the fuel ration. He once angrily turned away an offer of contraband sugar. Neither did he display any preference towards his family, none of whom achieved a major position in Stewart’s Cash Stores. |
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Black Joe, as he was sometimes called on account of his hair, was a demanding, even intimidating employer, but nearly all of his employees recalled him as fair and considerate. He was also privately generous to local charities. |
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A typical East Belfast entrepreneur |
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It is possible to view JL Stewart in the same mould as the more celebrated industrialists and entrepreneurs of east Belfast, such as Sir Edward Harland (Harland and Wolff), Sir Samuel Davidson (Sirocco) and William Holmes Smiles (Belfast Ropeworks). He displayed their qualities of independence, prudence and integrity. Like them, he was also a pioneer and a man of vision. He displayed business acumen and an instinct for his trade, and if he demanded dedication from his staff, it was no more than he displayed himself. In sum, Stewart exhibited the Victorian principle of ‘Self Help’, advocated in the title of the book by Smiles’ father. His company became the leader in its field and provided employment for thousands of people over many decades. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 00:03, 12 January 2014
| Company type | Former supermarket chain |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Fate | Purchased by Tesco |
| Successor | Tesco |
| Parent | Associated British Foods |
Stewarts Supermarket Limited (traded as Stewarts and Crazy Prices) was a supermarket chain in Northern Ireland. The chain was purchased by Tesco in 1997.
History
Stewarts/Crazy Prices
The company slogans were 'No-one delivers value like Stewarts' and 'No-one delivers freshness like Stewarts'. A television advertising campaign in the late 1980s included a cover version of the song Locomotion with these slogans replacing 'Come on baby, do the Locomotion'. (The song was then popular because of Kylie Minogue's successful 1988 cover).
Crazy Prices' long-time advertising theme was alternate lyrics set to the tune Tiger Feet by Mud.
Tesco
On 21 March 1997, Tesco agreed the purchase of the food retailing and related businesses of Associated British Foods in the whole of Ireland for £630 million..[1] The acquisition was completed in May after regulatory approval was granted. The Northern Ireland businesses were 19 Stewarts, 9 Crazy Prices and six other (Westside Stores and Bloomfields), 78 Stewarts Wine Barrel off-licence stores, the sports goods retailer Lifestyle Sports & Leisure Ltd. (marketed as "Lifestyle Sports"), the meat processing and packing business Kingsway Fresh Foods Ltd. and the fresh fruit and vegetable distributor Daily Wrap Produce Ltd.
This was a major expansion of Tesco's presence in Northern Ireland, its only other presence in Northern Ireland being a Tesco Metro in Belfast City Centre. Other Great Britain-based retailers had entered the Irish market around the same time. Sainsbury's had opened two stores at Ballymena and Forestside by the time Tesco completed the Stewarts purchase and would open seven more between then and 2003. Safeway (UK) formed Safeway Stores (Ireland) along with Fitzwilton, taking over a number of former Wellworths stores.
The Republic of Ireland stores (Powers Supermarkets Ltd trading as Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices) became Tesco Ireland while the Northern Ireland stores became part of the Tesco core UK business.
References
- ^ "Tesco directors' annual report 1997". Tesco. 1997-04-07. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
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