Feeding the nation

They may not be glamourous but they’re one of the biggest and most important sectors of our transport industry. So let’s shine the spotlight on some unsung heroes

- Peter Davies

A reliable transport service is vitally important in today’s world, none more so than in the supermarket business. Without an efficient distribution industry to keep the shelves stocked we would all go hungry. The thousands of trucks that are on the go every day, Tesco alone runs around 1300 tractor units and 4000 trailers plus 450 rigids, are the lifeblood of this country. As well as the supermarkets’ own fleets there are thousands more serving the supply chain.

At one time, back in the ‘50s, shopping meant trudging around to individual retailers almost on a daily basis. You’d go to the local baker for bread, the butcher for meat, the greengrocer for vegetables while other things like eggs, flour, tea, sugar and breakfast cereals would mean a visit to the general grocery shop. Milk, of course, would arrive on your doorstop in the morning courtesy of your local dairy. Not everyone had a fridge back then and home freezers were few and far between.

The whole shopping experience was to change with the advent of supermarkets. Self-service supermarkets first began in a small way in Britain in the ‘50s and became more established in the ‘60s. The growth in both the number and size of supermarkets progressed rapidly during the ‘70s and ‘80s and the industry saw numerous mergers and takeovers as today’s market leaders like Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons began to emerge.