Star Supply Stores was a leading chain of British grocers.

Star Supply Stores
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded1873
Defunct1929
FateAcquired
SuccessorInternational Tea Co. Stores
HeadquartersManchester, England
ProductsGroceries

History

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The business was founded in Manchester in 1873 by Joseph Cadman and James Fish as the Star Tea Company.[1] Soon, many towns in England had their own Star Supply Store, as immortalised in a verse from John Betjeman's poem Myfanwy:[2]

Smooth down the Avenue glitters the bicycle,
Black-stockinged legs under navy blue serge,
Home and Colonial, Star, International,
Balancing bicycle leant on the verge.

In 1922 the company, which by then had built up a chain of over 300 shops, bought Ridgways, a leading blender.[1] In 1929 Star Supply Stores was acquired by International Tea Co. Stores.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Star Supply Stores". Building our past. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Myfanwy". John Betjeman.com. Retrieved 14 October 2017.