Fine Fare's 1982 opening of a major new supermarket in Glenrothes

It opened 42 years ago as part of Phase III of the Kingdom Centre. Tuesday, March 30, 1982 saw the doors open for the vey first time, creating 150 jobs in the process. The supermarket was, according to a special feature in the Fife Free Press, “a panorama of colour and space” with “vast murals in bold colour and large signs showing clearly where each section is, both in pictures and words.

The company was once one of the biggest retailers around. It had 40 superstores and around 370 supermarkets across the UK.

Fine Fare was launched in the 1950s by one Garfield Weston who bought the company after a visit to a bakery he had acquired in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Noticing a supermarket being built nearby he didn’t just buy the store - he snapped up the entire company.

And, 51 years ago he opened his major store in Glenrothes. Wide aisles allowed people with trolleys to pass in comfort and still browse the shelves, while

The information desk at reception cleared cheques in advance so all shoppers had to do was fill in the amount at the check-out.

One opening offer saw Fine Fare refund bus tickets for anyone travelling to the store - up to a maximum of £1. The supermarket name vanished in the 1980s when it was taken over by Somerfield - which also had a store in the centre.