Can you remember this?
The Four Square Supermarket
Four Square History
- On 6th July 1922, Heaton Barker called together members of the Auckland Master Grocers' Association to discuss plans for the formation of a co-operative buying group of independent grocers.
- On 1st April 1925, this buying group registered a company, Foodstuffs Ltd (later Foodstuffs (Auckland) Ltd), the first of three regional co-operatives based in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, which now form the Foodstuffs group of co-operatives.
- The name Four Square emerged when Mr Barker, while talking on the telephone to one of the buying group members on 4th July 1924, drew a square around the 4 of the date on his calendar. He immediately realised he had a suitable name for the buying group, stating that "they would stand 'Four Square' to all the winds that blew".
- By the end of 1924, products were appearing under the Four Square name, and by 1929, discussions were underway on the use of a common branding on stores. Early versions of the Four Square sign were produced in the form of red and gold hand painted glass panels for display in members' stores.
- In February 1948, New Zealand's first self-service grocery store was opened in Onehunga by Phil Barker (the son of the founder of the group) and Ray McGregor. This soon became the norm for grocery retailing.
(Reference: read more at https://www.foursquare.co.nz/about/history/)