Sobeys store goes nuts for Nutella

A renovated Sobeys in downtown Toronto has something special for lovers of Nutella: a café dedicated to the hazelnut spread.

The café was unveiled Friday, the same day Sobeys Urban Fresh Spadina (22 Fort York Blvd.) held its grand reopening after a renovation.

It serves a variety of Nutella-infused items, including pastries breads and crepes, plus hot beverages.

Sobeys spokesperson Vicki Leung told Canadian Grocer that the café will be a permanent part of the store and is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. (The overall store is open 7 a.m. to midnight.)

Leung said that bringing the café to other Sobeys locations will be “assessed on a market-by-market basis.”

Nutella has become a popular item with Canadians since Italy’s Ferrero launched it in this country in 1968. More than one in five Canadians households bought Nutella to use in recipes or eat with breakfast, according to Nielsen Homescan <52 weeks to June 27>.

Mary Dalimonte, senior vice-president of merchandising and commercial programs at Sobeys, said in a press release that one of the aims of the café is to  “surprise and delight” customers and “add a little joy to their day.”

Sobeys isn’t the first supermarket retailer to have a Nutella prepared food offering. In May a Nutella Crêperie opened at Longo’s Maple Leaf Square location in downtown Toronto.

The pop-up crepe kitchen was to travel to Longo’s stores across the Greater Toronto Area, making fresh-to-order Nutella crepes.