Sainsbury's in King's Lynn town centre celebrates its 50th anniversary

A supermarket in Lynn's town centre has celebrated its 50th birthday and taken time to reflect on their its 1972 opening day.

Sainsbury's, on the Vancouver Quarter, celebrated being open for half a century on Monday, November 14.

Staff past and present gathered in the entrance of the store for refreshments and to reminisce about past times.

Store Manager Alan Bedwell spoke about the importance the store serves to the community.

"I was brought up in Lynn, moved away 33 years ago and have now come back. The store still serves the community even though a lot has changed since then.

"It's great that we've been open this long."

When the store first opened in 1972, 350 were employed .Currently, 47 are working there, with many members of staff transferring to the larger Hardwick Estate operation.

Borough Mayor Cllr Lesley Bambridge was also at Sainsbury's on its birthday, and she said: "I've been shopping here for years, not quite 50 years, but still a long time!"

Members of staff old and new joined in with celebrations. One of them, Tina Pawley, has been working at Sainsbury's for 45 years.

Tina said: "I left school and came straight here.

"A lot of things have changed since I worked here, but its like one big family."

Another long-time worker, Paul Hotson, was manager in 1988 and has worked for Sainsbury's for over 40 years.

"I still come in on a regular basis, its always been a friendly place to work.

"It's hard to think its been 50 years, I started in Cambridge and then moved into Lynn and I now work on the Hardwick."

Take a look back at the Sainsbury's store on its opening day back in 1972:

Do you have any memories of Sainsbury's when it first opened? Let us know by emailing: newsdesk@lynnnews.co.uk