MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Queen Elizabeth joins the celebration of Sainsbury's 150th anniversary

QEII was greeted by Lord John Sainsbury, the great-grandson of the supermarket chain's founder John James Sainsbury

Britain's Queen Elizabeth popped down to the supermarket on Wednesday to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the British high street chain, Sainsbury's. The 93-year-old queen visited a pop-up replica of the original Sainsbury's shop which was founded on London's Drury Lane in 1869, selling just butter, milk and eggs.

She was greeted by Lord John Sainsbury, the great-grandson of the supermarket chain's founder John James Sainsbury, and was shown around replicas of old shop floors as they developed from the introduction of self-service shopping in the 1950s to the use of modern technology.

It was explained to her how shoppers now use self-service tills and pay using their mobile phones, although she did not try it out herself, and she also cut a commemorative birthday cake.

The pop-up Sainsbury's will be based in Covent Garden in central London for a week, giving visitors the chance to look at 150 years of history of the supermarket, Britain's second-biggest grocer.