Sainsbury’s Archives are a collection of documents, artefacts and photographs which relates to the history of the food retailing company which was founded by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury in 1869. They form a fascinating record of changes in shopping and eating habits from the days of butter pats and bacon slicers to the technological sophistication of today’s supermarkets. Since their establishment in 1975, Sainsbury’s Archives have become widely recognised as one of Britain’s leading business collections. The Archives are not open to external researchers except through the Virtual Museum's exhibitions.
Sainsbury's Virtual Museum was launched in 1999. It is believed to be the world's first virtual retail museum and the only professionally managed collection of any kind to be exhibited exclusively on the internet.