Home Bargains, or Home and Bargain as it's more often known, is something of a Liverpool institution.
It all started back in 1976 when owner Tom Morris set up a single store in Old Swan at the age of 21.
Back then, his takings were less than £100 a week and the business was reportedly funded using his bank overdraft.
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Tom came from a family of shopkeepers, with his dad Tom Snr, running a store called V’s on Scotland Road – named after his wife Veronica and standing for “value”.
As the business grew, Tom, who is one of seven children, saw several of his brothers come on board despite them having careers in other industries.
Home and Bargain soon became known for its low prices and eclectic mix of items, from children's toys to sweets, chocolate and household items.
Photos show what the retailer used to look like during its early days, including the stores on Breck Road and Allerton Road.
Employees shared their memories of working in some of the first stores in Merseyside in a video on the company's website.
One woman said: "The following morning we would always have a queue outside the front door after delivery because the girls would go straight from the store to the bingo and let everybody know in the bingo what had come in that night on that night's delivery."
Another employee said: "I was only saying to someone the other day, when something good would come in like Cadbury's Roses for £2.99, as everyone was going to school I'd be on the front on a ladder putting signs up, writing my own signs.
"[They would say] What's in today? And I'd say 'oh I've got Cadbury's roses - £2.99. '
"[They'd say] 'oh we're on the way back will you save me 10?' And that's what they did every morning, every single morning."
She added: "When I look back to that very small Belle Vale [store], it was two aisles, three tills and both aisles used to be absolutely packed from front to back.
"Everyone's grown up with Home and Bargains and obviously it's so well known in Liverpool, but it's amazing and lovely to see how it's grown and it's right around the country, it's in Ireland, it's unbelievable."
In 1995, the company changed its name from Home & Bargain to Home Bargains, around the same time that it welcomed a new blue and red corporate identity which it is still known for today.
Since then, the company has grown into a multi-million pound empire, with over 500 stores and 25,000 employees across the UK.
As on of the UK's fastest-growing retailers, the company has opened a number of new stores across Merseyside over the last few years, including shops with their own café, bakery and even a garden centre.
Despite paying out more than £14m during the Covid-19 pandemic, the company continued to grow and plans to almost double its number of stores.
Accounts for TJ Morris, which trades as Home Bargains, for the 12 months to 30 June 2020 show the company's pre-tax profits grew from £232.9m to £262.7m.
This shows just how far Home Bargains has come since its first opening its first store in Old Swan 45 years ago.
But its roots still remain in Liverpool, where it is the largest employer in the region.
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