For 35 years, Asquith has been a household
name in Pontefract... Asquith the butcher, noted for quality beef and
pork. Now the name Asquith will become known to an even wider
public, for the opening last Friday of a modern self-service
supermarket, next door to the little shop where housewives used to buy
their weekend joint, marked the beginning of a new era for Asquith and
Sons, Ltd.
The large and impressive supermarket which
was opened by the Mayor of Pontefract. Councillor J. Walton, deals not
only in meat, but in all kinds of groceries and provisions. Run on
self-service lines, with the full range of groceries on display, the
supermarket is a further improvement to the town's shopping centre.
Entering the store through glass swing doors,
the customer can take a basket to hold the goods which she chooses from
the well stocked shelves and display units, and pay for the items at the
cash desk on the way out. Everything is on show to make things easy for
the housewife in a hurry and assistants are ready to help when required.
Particularly striking is the meat service counter at the rear of the
supermarket. This is about 42ft in length, including 30ft, of
refrigerated counter, and it carries an excellent display of English
meat, various cooked meats and bacon.
Another feature is a machine for roasting
chickens, on which about 30 chickens can be spit-roasted at the same
time. These birds sell at 10s 6d each. Near the entrance is a small
'market garden' with a delightful range of fruit and vegetables on show,
and there is a 24ft long two-decker display refrigerator for diary
produce such as fats, butter and cheese.
The store is bright and cheerful, and
although it will prove to be extremely popular there will be no danger
of 'treading on other each other's toes', even at the busiest times, for
it is spacious and well-planned.
Architecturally it is quite an 'eye catcher'
from the outside too, with a really attractive frontage featuring huge
colourful blinds. Full-size windows afford the window shopper a good
view of the interior from the pavement outside, and at the same time
flood the supermarket itself with natural daylight.
1959 INDEX
