Sobeys news

Empire Co. Ltd., owner of Canadian supermarket chain Sobeys, has announced it will close 50 Sobeys stores, mainly in Western Canada, in order to improve profitability. Review revealed underperforming stores The stores are being shut after a review of its store network last Fall revealed a number of underperforming stores. The stores represent 1.5 million square feet of floor space, 3.8% o...

Sobeys’ third quarter sales increased by 40.4% to $6.0bn, impacted by the acquisition of Canada Safeway. Excluding the acquisition, sales were up 2.7%, while same store-sales declined 0.2%. Net earnings from food retailing fell from $67.7m in 2013 to $3.9m, mainly due to sales and gross margin impacts and finance costs related to the acquisition. Margins impacted by new commercial programs t...

Sobeys is to sell to 30 stores in Western Canada, with separate deals agreed with the Overwaitea Food Group and Federated Co-operatives Limited. Required divestments as part of the Canada Safeway deal These stores form part of the October 2013 Consent Agreement with the Competition Bureau which Sobeys signed in relation to its purchase of Canada Safeway. While this required the retailer to...

HY Louie, a major grocery retailer in western Canada, has launched a new store format, Fresh St. Farms, which builds on the launch of its innovative Fresh St. Market format earlier this year. Fresh and local at the heart of the concept The new store, in Surrey BC, has been opened in a former IGA Marketplace location, which had also been operated by HY Louie. Billed as an ‘urban farmer’s marke...

Sobeys’ second quarter sales increased by 2.0% to $4.4bn, with same-store sales up 0.2%. Net earnings from continuing operations within the food division decreased by 27.1% to $56.3m, impacted by transaction costs related to the acquisition of Canada Safeway and lower gross margins. Pressures on promotional pricing The Canadian market remains competitive and volatile.  Sobeys reported tha...

Sobeys has launched its first Sobeys ‘extra’, in Burlington Ontario. The new format, which is linked to the retailer’s new Better Food for All mission, aims to offer an enhanced shopping experience through additional departments, products and services. .style1 { text-align: right; }.style2 { text-align: center; } Format brings new brand positioning to life Sobeys launched its new brand...

Loyalty and personalisation are at the forefront of retailers’ strategies in Canada, with a number of new initiatives in this space being announced. Sobeys launches its new mobile app This week Sobeys has launched its mobile app. While this has similar functionality to the apps of grocery retailers globally, such as enabling users to browse recipes, discover weekly and seasonal must-try pr...

Grocery retailers globally continue to channel investment into the development of their fresh food offers. With the goal of driving stronger traffic, improving the store experience, and providing shoppers with inspiration, store formats and concepts are being developed which bring this to life. As a recognised strength for North American retailers, our latest insight presentation, Seven prin...

Sobeys has launched a new range of products under the ‘Compliments Presents: Jamie Oliver Discovers Canada’ private label as part of its partnership with the leading chef. Focusing on ready-to-cook to encourage Canadians to eat better This new range had been developed specifically for the holiday season and includes bakery, meat, seafood and deli items. With an emphasis on ready-to-cook prod...

Amazon Canada has expanded its range of products to include more than 15,000 packaged grocery items. The online specialist has also added 200,000 auto parts to its offer in the country. Broad range of categories and brands offers The launch of this expanded grocery range builds on a number of new categories which Amazon has added in Canada this year including beauty, household products and t...