Safeway supermarket arrived in Taunton 31 years ago

It has been over three decades since Safeway came to Taunton, with the supermarket’s 2001 fire etched in the memory of many a local.

The “fabulous” supermarket arrived at Priory Bridge Road, at 9am on Tuesday, June 15th, 1993, “bringing a store of good ideas to local shoppers”.

An advert for the store’s opening in the Gazette reads: “Safeway has a reputation for paying attention to those extra details that make shopping more of a pleasure and less of a chore, and the new store is a shining example.”

Paul Colman, the manager of the Safeway as it opened, said at the time: “I’m very excited about the new store, and I think it will offer customers in Taunton some innovations that will be totally new to the area.”

The store promised “an impressive range of customer facilities includes a delicatessen and pizza bar, a high-speed dry cleaners, an excellent beers, wines and spirits department, and an attractive Coffee Shop, 460 parking spaces, and a Petrol Station.”

The advert continued: “As for service, Safeway has thought about every shopper, from the very young to the elderly, and all those with special needs.

"The store will be bringing a level of service and standards that will be second to none, a free bag packing and carry-out service, toilets with disabled facilities, a baby changing room, extra wide aisles and checkouts to allow easy access for wheelchairs and buggies – the list is endless.”

Then manager, Paul, added in 1993: “My staff and I will be working hard to ensure the store quickly becomes an integral part of the local community.”

Safeway also created 220 jobs in Taunton when it opened.

On Friday, September 21, 2001, it was devastated by fire in one of the biggest blazes crews have ever faced in Somerset and, at its height, 145 firefighters were at the scene battling the flames.

Safeway ceased operations across England, closing its last stores in November 2005.