In message , at 16:16:41 on Mon, 24 Mar 2008, Lew
1 remarked:
Beaten by Tesco, who already had a chain of several hundred stores by
1963. Their first actual supermarket was 1956, although they were
operating self-service shops as early as 1947 (and more conventional
retail outlets since soon after the first world war).

Am I right in thinking that the St Albans Tesco was their first self-service
store?

In 1947 it is claimed. But as their first self-service supermarket was
apparently in Maldon in 1956 I'm struggling to understand what separates
a shop from a supermarket (given that in the 60's many so-called
supermarkets were very small with maybe only two tills, like a modern
convenience store).
--
Roland Perry