Supermarket that was right up your street

WE were intrigued when we came across this great photo in our archive recently. It was sent in to us several years ago by reader Andrew Tucker, of Whetstone.

It shows one of Leicester Corporation’s former buses after it had been converted into a mobile shop.

These mobile shops were a reasonably common sight on the roads of Leicester’s suburban estates in the 1960s and ’70s, in the days before the huge out-of-town supermarkets were built.

The bus in question is a 1960 Leyland Titan PD3 double decker (XRY 208) which, after service with the city fleet, was converted by Belco Supermarkets, of Green Lane Road, Leicester. It was snapped on its rounds by Leicester photographer Peter Newland in 1976 at the Kingsway in Braunstone Town.

Andrew said at the time: “The bus toured various parts of the city throughout the week. As a boy, I remember seeing it many times on the Eyres Monsell estate where I lived.”

He explained the bus later found temporary local fame, featuring in the press in the 1980s, when it was bought by a property developer, turned into a large pig sty and sited in a field in the Gynsills area of Glenfield.

These mobile shops were not without controversy as they reportedly often parked up near established local supermarkets, whose owners, rather understandably, were put out at the unexpected sudden competition.

■ The 23rd annual reunion for expupils and staff of the City Of Leicester Boys’ Grammar School takes place on Saturday, March 14, at Clarence House, Humberstone Gate, Leicester. The building is now Age UK, but was used as the school until 1965.

Only those who attended prior to 1976 are eligible to attend the reunion. For full details visit: