Second World War: communication and distribution

Preparations for food rationing during the Second World War began in November 1936 when the Ministry of Food was set up as part of the Board of Trade. Registration began in November 1939 and food ration books were issued to every man, women and child in January 1940.

The Ministry of Food set up local food offices to license food dealers, distribute ration books and implement government regulations. Sainsbury's set up its own rationing department at its London head office.

The Ministry of Food's regulations were communicated within Sainsbury’s through a new network of 'contact clerks'. The clerks telephoned selected branches as soon as they had been notified by the Ministry of a change in the system. These branches were then responsible for passing the messages on to a further group of shops in their area.

This 'contact clerk' system was so efficient that some local food officers believed that Sainsbury's had prior knowledge of the regulations issued by the Ministry. Many local food offices discovered that it was quicker to telephone Sainsbury's rationing office for information, than go through their own complicated official channels.

Sainsbury’s central depot at Blackfriars was vulnerable to enemy air attack, so temporary regional depots were established at Branshott in Hampshire, Saffron Walden in Essex, Fleckney near Leicester, and Woolmer Green in Hertfordshire. Decentralisation also saved on fuel and enabled Sainsbury’s to distribute food to its branches across the country while still complying with wartime restrictions of the movement of foodstuffs.