The Buzz

The Buzz The latest news in the grocery biz

OPENINGS

CALGARY CO-OP has opened its first new store in five years in Calgary’s Sage Hill neighbourhood. Located in a new mixed-use development, the new store, at 30,000-sq. ft. has a smaller footprint than a typical Calgary Co-op, but CEO Ken Keelor told Canadian Grocer: “We have been able to plug in all the wonderful products and services members have been used to … You can do a full shop and I don’t think you’ll miss a thing.” Among the store’s features: a full-service bakery as well as deli, meat and floral departments, a pharmacy and about 2,400 local products. The Sage Hill store also incorporates a number of environmentally-friendly features including LED lighting, energy-efficient refrigeration systems and an electric vehicle charging station.

METRO has opened three new stores in Ontario in recent weeks. The grocer introduced a new 40,000-sq.-ft. store under the Metro banner in Ottawa’s Lincoln Heights neighbourhood in late October. The new build is located on the same site as a previous Metro location, but is bigger with an expanded fresh and local product offering. In November, the grocer also opened two new FOOD BASICS stores—one in Kitchener’s Williamsburg community and the other in Porcupine, Ont., near Timmins.

T&T SUPERMARKETS has announced it will be opening a Toronto location at CF Fairview Mall in winter 2022. The 36,000-sq.-ft. store will take over a space previously occupied by Sears and is part of the 50-year-old mall’s redevelopment plan. The grocer has also revealed plans to enter the Quebec market in 2022 (read more on page 12). With 29 stores in its network, T&T is Canada’s largest Asian supermarket.

Fast-growing FARM BOY opened a new store in Ottawa’s Stittsville community in mid-November. The 28,729-sq.-ft. store is less than 2 km from Farm Boy’s original location on Main Street, and president and general manager Jean-Louis Bellemare says the new space is “bigger and brighter” with an expanded assortment and new features including a burger bar food truck and grill station.

GOODNESS ME! NATURAL FOOD MARKET held a “Reno Reveal Party” in mid-November to debut its new and improved flagship store on Hamilton’s Upper Gage Street. Following five months of extensive renovations, the grocer says the 40-year-old store’s transformation will provide its customers with a “much improved shopping experience” with a fresh, vibrant feel that incorporates art from local artists.

The Montreal borough of Anjou is home to a new COSTCO. At 155,733 sq. ft., the new warehouse is 20% larger than its previous location, which is just down the street. The retailer says the old location will be converted into a Costco Business Centre. Along with a food court, pharmacy and optical centre, the expanded store also features six self-checkout stations, which is new to the Anjou Costco experience.

Goodness Me! has revealed its revamped flagship store on Hamilton’s Upper Gage Street Calgary Co-op opened its first new store in five years in a mixeduse development in Calgary’s Sage Hill neighbourhood

Metro has opened three stores in Ontario in recent weeks including one in Ottawa’s Lincoln Heights neighbourhood

COMINGS AND GOINGS

At Empire Company Limited, Matt Reindel and Michael Vels have new roles. Reindel, the company’s former senior vice-president of finance, has stepped into the chief financial officer role, which was previously held by Vels. Meanwhile, Vels is now the company’s chief development officer. Empire says the changes are part of a “rigorous succession” plan to develop the “next generation of talent for key leadership roles.” Olymel has named Yanick Gervais as its new president and CEO. Gervais, who joined Olymel in 2016, previously served as the Quebec-based meat company’s senior vice-president, operations. He succeeds Réjean Nadeau who passed away in October. Patrick Heffernan has taken on the role of senior vice-president of customer and client development at Tree of Life Canada. Heffernan, who has experience at REMBrands and UNFI Canada, will succeed Chris Powell who is retiring after 31 years at Tree of Life. At Ferrero Canada, David Rabu has been promoted to vice-president, trade marketing and category management. Rabu joined the confectionery company in 2010 and was recently its senior director, sales, national accounts and e-commerce. At UNFI, Claude Carvalho has taken on the newly created role of director customer experience and sales operations. Carvalho, who joined the company four years ago, has previous experience at Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé and PepsiCo. Sun Rich Foods Canada has announced a number of promotions. Kulvinder Bhatti is now the company’s national human resources manager, while Bruce Cusker is now national operations manager. Ashley Van Dam, formerly manager, sales and marketing has been promoted to director, national sales and marketing. At Crossmark, Marc Lynch has been promoted to director, client services. The role gives him responsibility for many of the company’s headquarter client relationships. Lynch joined Crossmark earlier this year as senior business account manager.

Matt Reindel

Michael Vels

Yanick Gervais

Patrick Heffernan

David Rabu

Claude Carvalho AWARDS/RECOGNITION

Canadian Grocer wins again at the Folio Eddie and Ozzie Awards! Our March/ April 2021 issue won an Eddie for editorial excellence in the Best Full Issue, B2B Food & Beverage category. The 2021 awards were handed out in New York City in October. News to share? Tell us about your openings, comings and goings, etc. by dropping a line to sfitzgerald@ensembleiq.com

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT Yanick Gervais, MTax, CPA, CA

President and CEO, Olymel L.P. Olymel is pleased to announce that Yanick Gervais has been appointed President and CEO of the company. Mr. Gervais took up his duties on November 11. By appointing him to lead the company, Olymel’s Board of Directors has recognized Mr. Gervais’ entrepreneurial talent and leadership qualities, as well as his ability to pursue Olymel’s mission of Feeding the World while addressing the challenges that the agri-food industry faces. With the experience of his management team, owner support, and employee commitment, Mr. Gervais will undoubtedly keep Olymel on the path to growth and prosperity. Born in Trois-Rivières, Mr. Gervais holds a graduate diploma and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and a master’s degree in Taxation from Université de Sherbrooke. He joined Olymel in 2016 through the acquisition of La Fernandière, a company specialized in the production of a wide range of fresh sausages, of which he had been co-owner and CEO for more than 10 years. From 2018 until his appointment as President and CEO, Mr. Gervais held the strategic position of Senior Vice President, Operations, which involved overseeing the smooth operation of over 30 Olymel processing plants across Canada. Olymel is Canada’s leader in the production, processing and distribution of pork and poultry meats. The company has production and processing facilities in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Its annual sales reach $4.5 billion.