Mainstop
Mainstop was a large British supermarket chain, with branches across the whole of England, which rose to prominence in the late 1970s. The company was bought outright in 1981 by Morrisons supermarkets.[1]
Mainstop branches were large general grocery stores, often featuring in-store specialist departments, such as butchers and bakeries.
The corporate logo consisted of four interlaced rectangles, forming an approximation of the "hash" symbol (#) from a computer font set, turned through 45°, or the letter "x" printed twice, so as to overlap. This logo was used in signage and marketing, and on promotional items, including coffee mugs widely distributed through the late 1970s at the opening ceremonies of new branches.[2]
Mainstop was originally part of International Stores, itself a subsidiary of British American Tobacco. In the late 1970s, the largest International Stores were rebranded as 'Big I' and finally as Mainstop. The 22 Mainstop stores ran at a loss during their brief existence, and therefore about half returned to the International Stores fold (until Gateway took them over), whilst the others were sold to Morrisons, Co-op and Presto in 1983.[citation needed]
References
- ^ See Key Dates table on this page.
- ^ The full colour version of the logo may be seen on the Darlington branch in this photograph from Durham County Council.