Excellent aisles: inside 10 great stores from the past year

If competition makes retailers better then it's no wonder that the last 12 months have seen some stellar new-store formats unveiled.

Indeed, Canadian Grocer's team of editors, reporters and correspondents across the country has been busy checking out the latest and greatest store designs. From Fresh St. Farms in B.C. to Les 5 Saisons in Quebec, we saw them first-hand.

And while the most impressive stores tend to be high-end supermarkets that focus on fresh, prepared meals, fancy cheeses and organic produce, we shouldn't forget about the stores that fight on price and convenience, like the new Food Basics concept and M2M, an ethnic c-store imported straight from Manhattan.

Check out 10 noteworthy stores we noticed this past year in the slide show below. And if you've renovated or built a new store yourself, let us know about it by emailing [email protected]