First look: Inside Longo's new Brooklin store
There was a buzz in the air in the fast-growing Whitby community of Brooklin Thursday morning as Longo’s held the grand opening of its 37th store.
Hundreds of eager shoppers lined up early to get a first glimpse of the new store, located at 5550 Baldwin St. S. Part of a new commercial development, the store is Longo's second in the Region of Durham and the first new Longo's to open in five years.
Once inside, shoppers got to experience a modern, spacious, beautifully merchandised store where food is the star of the show.
“The experience that you have in our store is one that combines our passion for food and family, and we honour that experience with the high standards that mirror your family standards,” said spokesperson Rosanne Longo at the grand opening. “We’re committed to offering our guests a remarkable experience, one that is focused on being fanatically fresh, and in the height of the local season, which is practically right now, more than 70% of our produce is local. You can’t beat local, and you can’t beat farm-to-Longo’s in 24 hours.”
A unique feature of the 45,000-sq.-ft location is that instead of a produce department, customers entering the store are immediately greeted with Longo’s Kitchen, which serves up a range of HMR options, including Roman-style pizzas, chicken and turkey meal deals as well as hot sandwiches. A sushi and poke bar station as well as grab-and-go salads and meal-kits provide more options for convenience-seeking customers. Among the store’s other features: hand-stretched mozzarella, an antipasto bar, an on-site Starbucks café, a market-style bakery and deli, Longo’s Epic Cookie program, a fresh-squeezed orange juice bar and a growing private-label offering.
“We’ve never taken a one-size fits all approach to new store openings and instead commit ourselves to ongoing and continual improvement with each and every location,” said Deb Craven, president, Longo’s. “Everything from our unique activations, custom offerings, design, layout and décor – all have a custom touch to reflect the community we’re operating in.”
The store also boasts many sustainability features including LED lighting and the use of CO2 as the refrigerant for all the location’s refrigeration. Almost all the store’s seafood is also sustainably sourced and the store is also participating in Longo’s partnership with anti-food waste group Too Good to Go.
Swipe though the gallery below to check out the new store:
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Longo's Brooklin is the grocer's 37th store -
The bakery department is full of decadent cakes pastries including Longo's famous cannoli -
A variety of kabobs, ready for the grill -
Steakhouse quality fare, all cut by a team of in-house butchers -
Longo's family, team members and local dignitaries at the grand opening July 20 -
Mitch Hamelin, assistant store manager; Deb Craven, president, Longo's; and Vince Piligra, store manager -
Hand-stretched mozzarella is a customer favourite at Longo's -
Upon entering the store, customers are greeted with Longo's Kitchen and its robust HMR offerings -
Longo's is big on local, with 70% of its produce (in peak season) sourced locally -
Fresh seafood is delivered to the store daily -
Reminders of Longo's heritage adorn the walls of the Brooklin store -
The bakery is a signature department at Longo's Brooklin -
Even the coffee is locally roasted -
Savoury snacks get a full aisle at the new store -
Fair trade bananas are on offer -
Local produce is front and centre in the robust produce department -
Quick meal solutions to appeal to convenience-seeking shoppers -
A robust produce department -
A sushi and poke bar serve up ready-meals -
Customers lined up early to get a first glimpse of the new store -
The Longo’s family and local dignitaries officially opened Longo’s Brooklin with their traditional celebratory apple bite