Grocer of the Year awards handed out

The Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Awards, handed out Tuesday night, turned out to be a true coast-to-coast affair as supermarkets from one end of the country to the other picked up hardware.

Powell’s Supermarket in Newfoundland won several awards, including a Platinum Achievement award and a bronze National award.

Five times zones to the west, on Vancouver Island, Quality Foods picked up a Platinum Achievement award and Canadian Master Merchandiser award.

The Grocer of the Year awards capped off the two-day Grocery Innovations Canada conference and tradeshow in Toronto.

The awards recognize excellence among independent grocery retailers in Canada and are organized by the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, which also hosted the show and conference.

Among the winners on Tuesday was Longo’s, which won gold in the National Large Surface category for a store it opened last year in a former locomotive service station in Toronto’s Leaside Neighbourhood.

The Large Surface silver award went to Metro Plouffe de Sherbrooke in Quebec and bronze was awarded to Save-On Foods West Lethbridge in Alberta.

The Medium Surface gold award went to Safety Mart Foods in Chase, B.C. The store sports a unique hockey theme and its owners, Brooke and Linda Kynoch, are known for their community support.

Medium Surface Silver was given to the Freson Bros. store in Fairview, Alta. Bronze went to Sharpe’s Food Market in Campbellford, Ont.

With expert merchandising in an economy-sized space, Thorncrest Market Foodland in Etobicoke, Ont., picked up gold in the Small Surface category.  Blind Bay Village Grocer in B.C., took silver, and the Powell’s store in Harbour Grace, N.L. took bronze.

Gold in the Specialty category went to Sunripe in London, Ont.

Silver went to Choices Markets Kitsilano store in Vancouver and bronze to Pete's Wolfville in Nova Scotia.

Graves Valufoods in Bridgetown, N.S. received the Arnold Rands Heritage Award.

The award is given to the year’s best privately owned grocery store that has been in the same family for at least two generations and in the same community for at least 35 years.

Summerhill Market in Toronto (pictured) received the Hall of Fame award.

In-store merchandising was also recognized, with three stores taking home a Canadian Master Merchandiser award

Moncion’s Your Independent Grocer in Ottawa won the Platinum Master Merchandiser Award, as well as gold in the Large Surface category.

Gold in the Medium Surface category went to Quality Foods Northridge in B.C., while gold in the Small Surface stores went to Sun Valley Supermarket in Toronto.

Here are other winners from the Grocer of the Year Awards:

Platinum Achievement Awards

• Colemans Food Centre, Deer Lake, N.L

• Colemans Food Centre, Stephenville, N.L.

• Longo Brothers Fruit Market – Ponytrail, Mississauga, Ont.

• Moncion Grocers Petawawa Market, Petawawa, Ont.

• Powell's Supermarket, Bay Roberts, N.L

• Quality Foods University Village, Nanaimo, B.C.

• Summerhill Market, Toronto

• Sundridge Foodland, Sundridge, Ont.

Regional Awards: Small Surface Category


• Blind Bay Village Grocer, Blind Bay, B.C. (B.C./Yukon region)

• Tofield IGA, Tofield, Alta. (Alberta/NWT/Nunavut)

• South Hill Fine Foods, Moose Jaw, Sask. (Saskatchewan/Manitoba/northern Ontario)

• Thorncrest Market Foodland, Etobicoke, Ont.  (South-central Ontario)

• Lakefield Foodland, Lakefield, Ont. (Eastern Ontario/Quebec)

• Powell's Supermarket, Harbour Grace, N.L. (Atlantic Canada)

Regional Awards: Medium Surface Category


• Safety Mart Foods, Chase, B.C. (B.C./Yukon region)

• Freson Bros. Fairview IGA, Fairview, Alta. (Alberta/NWT/Nunavut)

• Port Carling Foodland, Port Carling, Ont. (Saskatchewan/Manitoba/northern Ontario)

• Longo Brothers – Rutherford, Woodbridge, Ont. (South-central Ontario)

• Sharpe's Food Market, Campbellford, Ont. (Eastern Ontario/Quebec)

• Powell's Supermarket, Bay Roberts, N.L. (Atlantic Canada)

Regional Awards: Large Surface Category


• Askew's Foods #4 (Uptown), Salmon Arm, B.C.  (B.C./Yukon region)

• Save-On-Foods - West Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alta., (Alberta/NWT/Nunavut)

• Winkel's Your Independent Grocer, Espanola, Ont. (Saskatchewan/Manitoba/northern Ontario)

• Longo Brothers – Leaside, Toronto (South-central Ontario)

• Metro Plouffe de Sherbrooke (rue King est), Sherbrooke, Que. (Eastern Ontario/Quebec)

• Colemans At The Gardens, Corner Brook, N.L. (Atlantic Canada)