Depicting a Dickensian London, the story opens around the first ever Sainsbury’s store back in 1869. Here John James and Mary Ann showcase their finest produce, showing overflowing tables of apples, eggs and bread. A sack of overflowing glowing clementines catches the eyes of shoppers and a young group of chimney sweeps, including the star of the story, a young boy called Nick.

Unfortunately for the orphan, he is wrongly accused of stealing a Clementine that’s fallen off the table and his evil work master convinces the surrounding crowd that Nick is a thief and has him banished from the city. Luckily for Nick, Mary Ann Sainsbury is watching the whole event, realising Nick has been set up. Later we see the orphan banished in the cold, when he is woken from his nightmares and rescued by Mary Ann who gives him his very own sack of clementines.

Sainsbury’s has unveiled its new Christmas advert, which focuses on the humble beginnings of a young boy called Nicholas and where he was 150 years ago. Based on myth and whisper, the advert reveals the rumoured story behind one of the nation’s favourite Lapland residents.

The advert forms part of the brand’s 150th birthday celebrations, with ‘Helping make Christmas, Christmas since 1869’ sitting at the heart of the Sainsbury’s marketing campaign. Additional food and drink TV, radio, print, digital, social and OOH advertising is planned around the same message.

This was shot on a back lot which was built to look like 1890's America! Our production designer then had to change it to be authentic London. This included big builds like the whole shop front was made from scratch, pavements, street lamps. but also subtle touches like tons and tons of mud, faded lettering, washing e.t.c Bringing personality and life into a backlot so it felt like a real place. As well of this there where tons of bespoke props (the gotcha stick, the sleigh jail, the horse cart) that needed built to a very high level as they're in close up.