2019 Canadian Independent Grocers of the Year announced

The 2019 Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Awards capped off the two-day Grocery Innovations Canada conference and tradeshow in Toronto last Wednesday. Handed out by Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers at a gala dinner at the Toronto Congress Centre, the awards highlighted some of the best grocers in the country.

Each store is evaluated for retail excellence and is rated on its customer service, staff, department management, store layout, merchandising, creativity, cleanliness, and community involvement.

READ: Winners of the 2019 GIC Top 10 in Grocery

National Gold Award winners for Top Independent Grocer of the Year were:

• Freson Bros. Fresh Market, Fort Saskatchewan, AB (in the large surface grocer category);


• Safety Mart Foods #7, Chase, B.C. (medium surface);


• AG Valley Foods, Invermere, B.C. (small surface);


• Choices Markets Yaletown, Vancouver, B.C. (specialty category, David C. Parsons Award).

Colemans of Corner Brook, N.L. was this year’s recipient of The Arnold Rands Heritage Award, which is presented to the year’s best privately owned, multi-generational store that has been in the same family for a least two generations and in the same community for 35 years.

Click here for the full list of award winners.