Victor Value
Encyclopedia
Victor Value was a London
-based value supermarket
group operating at the lower end of the grocery trade.
Old Victor Value stores which survive can often be identified by their distinctive blue and white tiled frontage.
The Victor Value chain included some former Anthony Jackson Foodfare outlets, which it acquired in the early 1960s. It was well represented in what one might call the C2D
areas, and was also well represented in market areas of London
such as Chapel Market Islington
, Church Street Paddington
, and Leyton
High Road.
In 1968, Victor Value had 217 stores, and was sold to Tesco
for £1.75m. Tesco converted the larger branches to their own brand, but did not integrate the rest of the chain.
In the early 1980s, smaller town centre Tesco stores were rebranded as Victor Value, particularly in the North West of England. These town centre stores, including one in Huyton
, were used to trial new scanning and bar code technologies before launching them in Tesco-branded stores.
In 1986, frozen food supermarket chain, Bejam
, purchased the business from Tesco, and rebranded it as Bejam, before the latter was taken over by rival Iceland
in 1989.
Victor Value was often known as VV. The name came from the handles on the doors of the store, which read "VV" when shut.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based value supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
group operating at the lower end of the grocery trade.
Old Victor Value stores which survive can often be identified by their distinctive blue and white tiled frontage.
The Victor Value chain included some former Anthony Jackson Foodfare outlets, which it acquired in the early 1960s. It was well represented in what one might call the C2D
NRS social grade
The NRS social grades are a system of demographic classification used in the United Kingdom. They were originally developed by the National Readership Survey in order to classify readers, but are now used by many other organisations for wider applications and have become a standard for market...
areas, and was also well represented in market areas of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
such as Chapel Market Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, Church Street Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
, and Leyton
Leyton
Leyton is an area of north-east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney....
High Road.
In 1968, Victor Value had 217 stores, and was sold to Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
for £1.75m. Tesco converted the larger branches to their own brand, but did not integrate the rest of the chain.
In the early 1980s, smaller town centre Tesco stores were rebranded as Victor Value, particularly in the North West of England. These town centre stores, including one in Huyton
Huyton
Huyton is a suburb of Liverpool within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, with some parts belonging to the borough of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It is part of the Liverpool Urban Area and has close associations with its neighbour, Roby, having both formerly been part of the Huyton with...
, were used to trial new scanning and bar code technologies before launching them in Tesco-branded stores.
In 1986, frozen food supermarket chain, Bejam
Bejam
Bejam was a British frozen food retailer which was founded by John Apthorp in 1968, based in Stanmore. The concept of selling only frozen foods was a novel idea at the time, and Bejam grew out of Apthorp's existing family business of E. A. D. Apthorp, who were potato merchants specialising in local...
, purchased the business from Tesco, and rebranded it as Bejam, before the latter was taken over by rival Iceland
Iceland (supermarket)
Iceland is a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Iceland's primary product lines include frozen foods, such as frozen prepared meals and frozen vegetables - hence the name of the company...
in 1989.
Victor Value was often known as VV. The name came from the handles on the doors of the store, which read "VV" when shut.