Convenience Store is 25 years old this month.

Your favourite fortnightly published its first issue in February 1985 with the promise of "The new fortnightly for the retail revolution".

In the 1980s, convenience stores were still emerging as a new trading format, as rapid superstore development threatened the existence of the traditional independent grocer.

There were about 1,100 c-stores in 1985, with more than 600 trading under the spar Eight Till Late banner. Many early c-stores were owned by suppliers, with Guinness operating the RS McColl and 7-Eleven chains, and tobacco giants Gallaher and Imperial owning the Forbuoys and Finlays chains respectively. Other early c-store brands were VG Late Shop, Sperrings and Misselbrook & Weston.

While many of the brand names have disappeared, other things don't change. Early issues of C-Store carried stories of expansion plans for Nisa, Spar, Booker and the fledgling Costcutter group.

There was also a story about a petition signed by 25,000 newsagents being handed in at the Houses of Parliament, urging Chancellor Nigel Lawson to go easy on tobacco taxation in his 1985 Budget.

Readers with long memories may also recall that 1985 was the year of the Live Aid concert, football disasters at Valley Parade, Bradford, and the Heysel Stadium, and when Ronald Reagan was sworn in for a second term of office. In addition, Mikhail Gorbachev became Russian Premier and Mohamed Al Fayed bought Harrods.

In grocery, 1985 was the year that McCoy's, Lynx and McVitie's HobNobs made their debut.