SIAL Canada: five great grocery concepts to visit in Toronto
This week, thousands of North America and international food companies will be finalising their plans for SIAL Canada in Toronto. Next week, the city will host one of the largest food innovation events globally. With the event attracting exhibitors and attendees from over 50 countries, it provides a great platform for Canadian grocery retailers to showcase some of their world leading store formats. Here’s my pick of stores to see in the downtown area.
Metro, Lynn Williams St
Located near to the Enercare Centre, where the SIAL event is taking place, is Metro’s flagship supermarket format. As Canada’s third largest grocery retailer, it has placed format development at the heart of its growth strategies. Standout features at this store include the front of store cheese island, fresh produce and bakery, which also features the retailer’s premium Première Moisson range. Given its downtown location, food-to-go is also a key element, while signalling the growing importance of natural health, the store also features a Nature’s Source natural dispensary alongside a traditional pharmacy.
Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens, Carlton Street
This is the flagship store from Canada’s leading grocery retailer, and the basis for its ‘Inspire’ format program. This is a highly innovative and creative store which seeks to demonstrate the retailer’s fresh food credentials.
Key features in this area include an 18ft wall of cheese, a patisserie, tea emporium, an artisan bakery and a sushi counter which showcases Loblaw's T&T Asian-focused brand. The food hall offers an array of food options which have been created by a team of chefs with global food experience. Options are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and all times in between, which can either be consumed within the store or taken away.
The Market by Longo’s, Bay Street
Longo’s is a regionally operated chain with 30 stores in the Greater Toronto area. While most of its stores are supermarkets, it has also developed ‘The Market by Longo’s’. This is a smaller format store concept for urban locations, including transit stations.
The proposition is focused on meeting shoppers’ immediate food needs. This includes a range of food-to-go options, including a prepared foods hot bar, salad bar, pizza, panini, hot soup bar and custom-made gourmet sandwiches. The store also features a brilliant design, with the extensive use of wood creating a natural backdrop.
Saks Food Hall by Pusateri’s, Eaton Centre
This is one of the most recent additions to the city’s grocery offer, and one of the most unique. As part of its entry into the Canadian retail sector, US-based department store chain, Saks Fifth Avenue, has partnered with Toronto’s leading premium food retailer, Pusateri’s to create a food offer within its stores.
The aim has been to create a contemporary food hall which offers a distinctive and elevated food experience, built around a range of dine-in options, unique products and service counters and stations. Apart from the outstanding in-store environment, the store boasts several innovative features such as vegetable butcher, date bar, yoghurt bar and a gluten-free, soy-free, vegan bakery.
Sobeys Urban Fresh, Fort York Blvd
Sobeys is Canada’s second largest grocery retailer. It has developed a multi-format strategy, with Urban Fresh its format for downtown locations. This 2,000 SQ M store re-opened in 2015 following a major remodel which was aligned to the retailer’s ‘Better Food For All’ strategy.
Urban Fresh stores are intended to serve as one-stop grocery destinations for the urban shopper. Key features include its prepared foods and food-to-go offer. This includes an extensive range of prepared meals, pizzas sandwiches and hot and cold food bars. Shoppers can also opt for sushi, udon, ramen and rice bowls prepared fresh on-site. This store also saw the opening of the first Nutella Café in the city.
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