The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is currently unavailable
Opening of Denton Burn Co-op
Self-service is still a novelty to the curious crowd at the opening of a re-vamped Co-operative store in Newcastle.
From the collection of:
Overview
There’s still a sense of wonder for the 60s suburban Denton Burn crowd ogling shelves a-plenty at the opening of a self-service store for the Co-operative Wholesale Society in Newcastle. No doubt the film cameras added to the excitement, but this was after all a post-war British shopping revolution in the making.
The Co-op was in the vanguard of the self-service and supermarket trend in Britain (actually the brainchild of Clarence Saunders, founder of the American Piggly Wiggly grocery chain). The Newcastle Society lagged behind London branches: Romford got one in 1942 as a response to wartime staff shortages. But it was one of the first traders in Newcastle to convert stores into self-service. The re-fit of this grand 1930s West Road shop in Denton Burn was announced at a members meeting in 1955. Once rationing ended in 1954 self-service supermarkets slowly caught on, but for a while ‘the hostess’ guided customers around these bewildering new environments and cajoled them into using wire baskets.
Related
Watch for free
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
Watch for free
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Watch for free
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.
Watch for free
Edgar Wright on The Running Man Edgar Wright on The Running Man
Inside Film 2025 28 mins
The director talks to Mark Kermode about putting Stephen King's dystopian life-or-death gameshow thriller through its paces.
Watch for free
Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 69 mins
Richard Linklater discusses his remarkable and wide-ranging body of work, including Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague.
Watch for free
Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 73 mins
Daniel Day-Lewis, the ultimate actor’s actor discusses his career in conversation with Mark Kermode.