# Supermarket Direct

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**Supermarket Direct** was a pioneering [online grocer](/source/Online_grocer), providing a home grocery shopping and delivery service in [London](/source/London) from October 1995.[1] The company sold [Sainsbury's](/source/Sainsbury's)-provided groceries until it was bought by [Somerfield](/source/Somerfield) and integrated into the Somerfield Direct home shopping service.[2]

## History

Supermarket Direct was founded by [Adrian Flanagan](/source/Adrian_Flanagan) and Dominick Scott-Flanagan, and launched in October 1995.[2][3][4] The deal with Sainsbury's made Sainsbury's the first major grocery store in the [UK](/source/United_Kingdom) to provide home shopping.[5]

At the launch, customers could select from a catalogue of 1,700 proprietary branded groceries, and telephone or fax their order to a call centre. Orders received before 6pm could be delivered within a two-hour period the following day. Following a relaunch in 1996 a further 800 Sainsbury's-branded groceries were added to the catalogue, and by November 1998 over 4,000 products were available including Flanagan's [own label](/source/Store_brand) products.[6][7] Delivery was charged for, initially at £4, later at £5.[8][9]

Running a small fleet of 12 vans,[6] by the start of 1997 the company had 5,000 regular customers and was taking 170 orders per day.[1]

[Somerfield](/source/Somerfield) bought Supermarket Direct in April 1999 for £3.25 million, and Supermarket Direct partners Dominick Scott-Flanagan and David Noble joined the *Somerfield Direct* board. At the time *Somerfield Direct* only covered the South West of England from its base in Bristol. With the incorporation of Supermarket Direct, *Somerfield Direct* extended its range to the London area.[2]

## References

1. Cope, Nigel (6 January 1997). ["Pioneers raise pounds 2m for expansion"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/pioneers-raise-pounds-2m-for-expansion-1281978.html). [The Independent](/source/The_Independent). [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/pioneers-raise-pounds-2m-for-expansion-1281978.html) 25 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine.

1. Jardine, Alexandra (25 March 1999). ["Somerfield buys direct-order firm"](http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/somerfield-buys-direct-order-firm/62695). [Campaign](/source/Campaign_(magazine))

1. ["Adventurer rewarded for circumnavigation feat"](http://www.lep.co.uk/news/education/adventurer-rewarded-for-circumnavigation-feat-1-63935). *www.lep.co.uk*. [Lancashire Evening Post](/source/Lancashire_Evening_Post). 15 January 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2017.

1. ["News: Rowland bags Flanagan's home delivery account"](http://www.prweek.com/article/93438/news-rowland-bags-flanagan-rsquos-home-delivery-account). [PRWeek](/source/PRWeek). 6 December 1996.

1. Garner, Clare (11 January 1996). ["Supermarket checks out shopping by phone"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/supermarket-checks-out-shopping-by-phone-1323377.html). *The Independent*. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/supermarket-checks-out-shopping-by-phone-1323377.html) 25 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine.

1. Cope, Nigel (24 February 1996). ["Home shopping service returns to Sainsbury's"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/home-shopping-service-returns-to-sainsburys-1320775.html). [The Independent](/source/The_Independent). [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/home-shopping-service-returns-to-sainsburys-1320775.html) 25 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine.

1. ["Sainsbury opens door to home shoppers"](https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Sainsbury+opens+door+to+home+shoppers.-a017906249). *www.thefreelibrary.com*. William Reed Ltd.

1. Poulter, Sean (10 January 1996). ["A Superstore at Home; Buy a Week's Groceries over the Phone as Sainsbury's Joins Shopping Revolution"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170320051905/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-111435838.html). Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-111435838.html) on 20 March 2017.

1. Gould, Jane & Silberzahn, Philippe (September 1996). ["Electronic Home Shopping - A review of evidence and expert opinion from the USA and UK"](http://facultyresearch.london.edu/docs/96-802.pdf). [London Business School](/source/London_Business_School)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Supermarket Direct](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarket_Direct) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarket_Direct?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.