Back in Time for the Corner Shop

Original version

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The Ardern family go back in time to run that great British institution, the corner shop.

The Ardern family embark on an extraordinary time-travelling adventure - going back in time to run that great British institution, the corner shop.

Series 1

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Sara Cox

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Victoria Bell

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Back in Time for the Corner Shop: Series 1: 50s and 60s

50s & 60s

50s and 60s

BBC Two - Back in Time for the Corner Shop, Series 1, 50s and 60s

The Arderns’ shopkeeping adventure continues into the 50s and 60s.

The Arderns continue their time-travelling adventure from postwar rationing to the boom years of the 60s and discover how small shops fought back against bigger grocery chains.

This time, the Ardern family take their places behind the counter for two decades of transformation in the corner shop - the 50s and 60s. Ardern and Son might look more modern, but rationing is still in force, so shopkeeper’s wife Jo has to tempt customers with tinned fish fritters – with little success! Sheffield’s thriving steel industry drew workers from across the Commonwealth to Britain, creating a new group of customers for the shop. Jo and Dave meet ex-steel worker Joe Bent and his colleagues and discover the vital lifeline the corner shop played for workers doing long shifts in the city’s factories and foundries.

1953 brings the end of sweet rationing. Sara brings the family new scales and plentiful stock ready for a bonanza day in the shop as hordes of eager customers are keen to get their hands on some sugar! As Britain enters the consumer boom of the mid 50s, things ought to be looking up, but small shopkeepers are starting to be conscious of a new threat – the increasing dominance of bigger grocery chains, which now make up at least 50% of the grocery market. To compete, independent shops had to innovate and invest – so Dave takes delivery of a shiny electric bacon slicer and introduces new stock to draw in a new group of customers – teenagers.

Musician Billy Bragg drops by to introduce the family to skiffle – an innovative new sound sweeping the country. Utilising old shop packaging and stock, they construct instruments and manage a passable rendition of Lonny Donnegan’s Rock Island Line – the first chart hit in Britain to feature a guitar.

Change comes at a dizzying pace over the next few years. Sara introduces the family to hula hooping – a craze that saw shops across the country sell out in 1958 - while 1961 brings sliced bread and the revelation that is chimps in space! But 1964 brings the most revolutionary change of all – Polly turns up with the shop’s first self- service shelving. The weighing, measuring and personal service the Arderns have prided themselves on is under threat as customers embrace the idea of do-it-yourself shopping. In 1947, there were just ten self-service stores in Britain. By 1964, the number had leapt to 7,000.

The Arderns are forced to accept the arrival of self service and the reality of supermarkets who begin to undercut smaller shops on price. Stocking everything from garden rakes and pigeon seed to maggots, they try to keep customers coming through the door. As the era draws to a close, the family throw a party to thank their loyal customers but look forward to the next decade with trepidation.

Back in Time for the Corner Shop: Series 1

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