MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew launched the hip new logo of the NTUC FairPrice supermarket chain at its historic first outlet in Toa Payoh Central on Friday.

He had opened it 35 years ago in the days when profiteering was rampant and food prices were painfully high.

But he was all smiles yesterday when he hit a button to launch the logo and a vibrant red 'U' logo flashed on screens. Two climate-controlled trucks rolled past on cue, honking festively.

Mr Lee later toured the supermarket, and lingered at a Heritage Wall of pictures and milestones. Included were black-and-white pictures of him and the Toa Payoh branch.

The new-look logo mirrors that of NTUC, which carries a hallmark 'U' that puns on 'you'.

So the revamped FairPrice identity 'reflects a deep-rooted relationship with the labour movement', said NTUC FairPrice chairman Ng Ser Miang.

And it reflects the promise to 'moderat the cost of living in Singapore'.

That promise was sealed on July 22, 1973, when the first no-frills outlet opened. Named NTUC Welcome, it still stands in Block 192, but is now part of a chain of 200-plus stores.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.