How Times Have Changed.

[Platypuss]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SavaCentre

Not since 2005 according to wiki.

In August 1998, the Calcot SavaCentre was the first to be re-modelled to provide a greater emphasis on food, with the food to non-food ratio changing from 60:40 to 80:20. Non-food was based around four areas: Celebration - for party ideas; Indulgence - for beauty products; Baby and Toddler; and Cookshop.[3] The refurbishment cost £10m.

The plan was to roll out the format, which was trialled at the Calcot SavaCentre, to the other 12 SavaCentres over the next three years. This format was not a success and the Calcot SavaCentre became the only hypermarket to be re-modelled in this format. The Calcot SavaCentre was down-sized and re-branded as Sainsbury's in 2005, but following a further refurbishment in 2008, a number of the products removed in the 1998 revamp were re-introduced.

[Forbury Lion]

IIRC SavaCentre was a joint venture between Sainsburys and some other company, It's now a Sainsburys.

Interesting fact an accountant who used to work at Sainsburys head office in Wokingham told me, They spent an absolute fortune - £Millions doing up that store and it was a flagship in Europe having won a shed load of retail awards, It had things like an Indian takeaway in it and everything. However the investment was based on a model that was incorrect. They assumed the customer numbers would continue to grow but nobody realised that the model had vastly more people attending the store than actually lived in the surrounding areas. The growth was therefore unachievable and unrealistic.

Edit - This fits in with the post above, £10m investment on the back of flawed predictions and calculations.

RIP Savacentre, They had the best Jam Donuts.

[Mr Optimist]

I think it was originally a joint venture between Sainsburys and British Home Stores. Sainsburys doing the groceries and BHS the clothing and home ware side of things.

Worked in the Dixons in there for a short while in the mid80s.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

I think it was originally a joint venture between Sainsburys and British Home Stores. Sainsburys doing the groceries and BHS the clothing and home ware side of things.

Worked in the Dixons in there for a short while in the mid80s.

Yep it was joint venture with BHS - worked there when it opened in 1981.

[JC]

Marvellous stuff. Roger Smee and Frank Waller.... heroes.

Don't think so. Frank Waller was one of the 3 directors who agreed to the sale to Maxwell. The deal was eventually scotched by another director, Roy Tranter, launching a legal challenge which led to the band of 3 resigning and leaving the way open for Roger Smee to step in.

[JC]

This must have been posted before but I have to confess I've never seen it if it has.

A news report from 1983 about the proposed merger between Reading and Oxford. For particular interest to those who still think Madejski saved us from Maxwell.

Check out the Tilehurst Road training ground. Oh and the NF grafitti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... KVejNAw6S0

I have never seen anybody say they thought Madjeski saved the club from Maxwell. I thought everybody knew he took over from Roger Smee when he ran into financial difficulties.

[K9hassel]

3m10s in - I've still got that tie !

And the result of that game on 2nd May was Oxford United 1-2 Reading, shame there's no video footage of that game as that must have been very interesting on the terraces.

What did become of Frank Waller? He seems to have just faded away after he was legally prevented from completing the deal.

I remember it well. Awarded a last minute penalty and an Oxford skinhead jumped the wall/moat and kicked the ball away to the adulation of the London Rd end.Stewart Henderson then calmly slotted it home.Being in the home end/side made our trip back to the van interesting as we celebrated madly.Oh to be young and foolish again.Proper football experience.

[Vision]

This must have been posted before but I have to confess I've never seen it if it has.

A news report from 1983 about the proposed merger between Reading and Oxford. For particular interest to those who still think Madejski saved us from Maxwell.

Check out the Tilehurst Road training ground. Oh and the NF grafitti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... KVejNAw6S0

I have never seen anybody say they thought Madjeski saved the club from Maxwell. I thought everybody knew he took over from Roger Smee when he ran into financial difficulties.

Trust me, I've seen it several times posted by younger fans on here so it's definitely out there. To be fair though it's all ancient history if you were born Post Madejski.

[LUX]

so what was Tredder's Dad's role?

[sputnik]

3m10s in - I've still got that tie !

And the result of that game on 2nd May was Oxford United 1-2 Reading, shame there's no video footage of that game as that must have been very interesting on the terraces.

I remember it well. Awarded a last minute penalty and an Oxford skinhead jumped the wall/moat and kicked the ball away to the adulation of the London Rd end.Stewart Henderson then calmly slotted it home.

I can't remember it very well, as I thought it was Dixon who scored the penalty.

[JC]

3m10s in - I've still got that tie !

And the result of that game on 2nd May was Oxford United 1-2 Reading, shame there's no video footage of that game as that must have been very interesting on the terraces.

I remember it well. Awarded a last minute penalty and an Oxford skinhead jumped the wall/moat and kicked the ball away to the adulation of the London Rd end.Stewart Henderson then calmly slotted it home.

I can't remember it very well, as I thought it was Dixon who scored the penalty.

And you would be right

[K9hassel]

I stand corrected.King Kerry indeed.

[Jack Celliers]

As a total Newbie glory hunter (moved to Reading Jan2000, first match March of that year, STH since August 2000) I’ve only read about the Thames Valley Royals idea.

Seeing it presented as a current news story (in this film) when the end result wasn’t known, I’m struck by just how devastating it must have felt. And what a total hero Roger Smee was. And that they never should have changed the Heelas name. (I still doggedly call it Heelas, and call Savacentre Savacentre too).

Do you call it Heelas's?

That was brilliant. It seems 100 years ago though. Evans and Smee were so young and spoke so well.

[glass half full]

As a total Newbie glory hunter (moved to Reading Jan2000, first match March of that year, STH since August 2000) I’ve only read about the Thames Valley Royals idea.

Seeing it presented as a current news story (in this film) when the end result wasn’t known, I’m struck by just how devastating it must have felt. And what a total hero Roger Smee was. And that they never should have changed the Heelas name. (I still doggedly call it Heelas, and call Savacentre Savacentre too).

Do you call it Heelas's?

That was brilliant. It seems 100 years ago though. Evans and Smee were so young and spoke so well.

I still call the Broad Street Mall Butts Centre as well.

[Mr.Swainey]

Great video, that.

Elm Park

[Jack Celliers]

I think it was originally a joint venture between Sainsburys and British Home Stores. Sainsburys doing the groceries and BHS the clothing and home ware side of things.

Worked in the Dixons in there for a short while in the mid80s.

Yep it was joint venture with BHS - worked there when it opened in 1981.

BHS's own brand shite was called Prova to provide the va in Sava. BHS provided lighting as well as clothes.

Other Savacentres had blue outfits but for some reason we had brown outfits when I worked there at an impressionable age - all the flat-chested students spending summers there in tight-fitting brown polyester provided happy flashbacks whenever I went into Sainsbury's for years.

[Woodcote Royal]

Great find - many thanks.

Yes, indeed. Thanks again, Vision.

1983? Blimey!

So much has changed since then it looks more like a parallel universe

[bobby1413]

As a total Newbie glory hunter (moved to Reading Jan2000, first match March of that year, STH since August 2000) I’ve only read about the Thames Valley Royals idea.

Seeing it presented as a current news story (in this film) when the end result wasn’t known, I’m struck by just how devastating it must have felt. And what a total hero Roger Smee was. And that they never should have changed the Heelas name. (I still doggedly call it Heelas, and call Savacentre Savacentre too).

I'm really similar. I moved here in 2002 after a life moving around due to the army. I consider Reading to be my home town and I've been a supporter ever since.

It's gutting I missed out on Elm Park and the history. Really good video though

As others said the shot of the stadium from the centre of reading looked really cool