Sainsbury’s has paid homage to its roots with its 2019 Christmas campaign, which celebrates the opening of the retailer’s first store in 1869.
The short film tells the tale of a young chimney sweep called Nicholas, who is wrongfully accused of stealing a clementine from a Sainsbury’s stall in Dickensian London.
The advert begins with Nicholas and a group of other chimney sweeping children being led down a muddy, cobbled street by their master.
As they pass the Sainsbury’s stall, which is lined with dozens of bright orange clementines, the master fills his top hat with the fruit, dropping one on the floor as he sneaks away.
When Nicholas goes to pick the clementine up from the floor, he is caught by a police officer, who accuses him of being a thief.
The innocent boy is led away in a cage by the police officer, who exclaims to the jeering crowds that he “caught him orange-handed”.
Despite Nicholas’ protestations that he did not steal anything, the rowdy mob do nothing to help, calling for him to be banished for his alleged crime.
As Nicholas is wheeled away, the chimney sweep master gleefully eats a stolen clementine.
Mary Ann Sainsbury, the wife of Sainsbury’s founder John James Sainsbury, watches the series of events unfold with increasing concern for Nicholas.
Following his banishment to a snowy land, the young boy finds himself trying to keep warm against the icy blizzards.
While he is sleeping, Mary Ann arrives to tell Nicholas she believes he is innocent and gift him a bag of clementines.
When the boy tells her that he is unable to pay for the fruit, she replies: “Well if you can’t do something special for someone at Christmas, when can you?”
Mary Ann’s act of kindness prompts an idea in Nicholas, who tells her: “There’s something I need to do.”
The young boy arrives back in the town where he pays a visit to his chimney sweeping friends while they are sleeping.
He places a clementine in each of their hanging stockings.
The next morning, Nicholas watches from a distant location as they discover the gifts.
His hat, once a dark shade of brown, turns bright red, matching the red blanket that is wrapped around him.
As he turns to look at the camera, sprinkles of snow appear on his headwear, making it look as though he is wearing a Christmas hat.
“And that is a totally true story. Merry Christmas,” the advert’s narrator concludes.
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