John Benjamin Sainsbury

John Benjamin Sainsbury ran the business in partnership with his father from 1915, and became a director of the newly formed Company 'J. Sainsbury Ltd.' in 1922 and chairman in 1928 after his father's death.

‘Mr John’ as he became known was the keenest of the brothers and took on a range of responsibilities within Sainsbury’s: the bacon and ham departments and the buying of lamb and Ostend rabbits, the development of new shops and the maintenance of existing ones, recruiting staff and managing vehicles and stables.

John Benjamin maintained high standards and received weekly reports on each branch from a network of inspectors. Sainsbury’s Branch Management department changed its name to the Shop Services department overnight after Mr John pointed out that he was the branch management department. Even during the uncertain times of rapidly rising prices at the outbreak of war in 1914 he insisted that all food be clearly labelled.

He also played a key role in Sainsbury’s expansion during the 1920s and 1930s, visiting potential new store sites with his family at weekends and conducting his own market research. He expanded it into a chain of 250 grocery outlets throughout the south of England, East Anglia and the Midlands.

He died in office on 23 May 1956.^[3][1]

• The Sainsbury Archive: John Benjamin Sainsbury

• History of Sainsbury's