BBC One Orders Inside the Supermarket

BBC One has commissioned Inside the Supermarket, a six-part series from ITN Productions that goes behind the scenes of Sainsbury’s, Britain’s oldest grocery store.

The series comes just in time to mark the retailer’s 150th year in business. Twenty-six million people shop at Sainsbury’s every week, and uncertainty surrounding Brexit and pressure from discount retailers and online competition are setting this year up to be one of the store’s most challenging.

From one of Sainsbury’s biggest supermarkets, Hedge End in Southampton, which has over 600 employees, to the Sainsbury’s London Headquarters, to its busiest northern depot at Haydock Park, Merseyside, the series gives a multi-dimensional portrayal of the supermarket. Over the course of a year, the doc follows pivotal points in the retail calendar, including Mother’s Day, Easter, the summer holidays and the run-up to Christmas.

Emily Smith, commissioning editor of documentaries at the BBC, said: “This is a really interesting time for retail as a whole, and for supermarkets in particular. We all know Sainsbury’s, but we have little knowledge of all the challenges and decision-making that happens behind the shelves. In this exciting time for retail, this multi-layered series will give us a fascinating and enjoyable insight into how Sainsbury’s staff navigate the ever-changing variables they’re faced from HQ to the shop floor—from changes in consumer behavior and the supply chain to the growing competition.”

ITN Production’s executive producer, Will Smith, said: “We all shop in supermarkets like Sainsbury’s every week, but rush in and out with no thought of what goes on behind the scenes to put food on the shelves and on our tables. From day-to-day forecasting and firefighting, we will follow the supply chain as they react to major events from heatwaves to summer holidays and back to school to the run-up to Christmas. This series will provide a unique picture of the British supermarket shopper—when we buy, how we buy and what we buy.”

Ian Rumsey, director of TV production at ITN Productions, said: “Our team at ITN Productions consistently secures access that any production company would be proud of. We have a uniquely diverse slate of programs which range from current affairs, live events, popular factual and international docs. Our access-driven programming delivers viewers genuine insight into compelling subjects.”