Loblaw banners Pharmaprix, Maxi and No Frills open new locations
Loblaw Companies-owned food and pharmacy chains Pharmaprix, Maxi and No Frills opened new locations this week.
Pharmaprix (Shoppers Drug Mart) opened its first-ever location in Quebec’s Beauce region—with a new Maxi next door. In Western Canada, Brad & Briana’s No Frills welcomed shoppers in Lethbridge, Alta., as Russell & Lee’s No Frills opened in Paradise, N.L.
Loblaw also set the opening date for its previously announced Real Canadian Superstore (RCSS) at Buffalo Run on Tsuut’ina Nation, located near Calgary. The store will open its doors on Nov. 26.
Get the details on the new stores below.
Real Canadian Superstore at Buffalo Run
The first RCSS in Alberta developed in close consultation with an Indigenous community, the store promises to offer fresh produce, full-service meat, seafood and bakery departments and household essentials including home, entertainment, beauty and toys. The building will also feature custom artwork created by four local Indigenous artists.
Beverley Sousa serves as store manager, with 24 years of experience with the banner.
Buffalo Run is one of three community villages within Taza, a 1,200-acre development on Tsuut’ina Nation led by Taza Development Corp.
Pharmaprix Saint-Georges
Located at 17330 Lacroix Boulevard in Saint-Georges, the 12,000 square-foot store features a dedicated Pharmacy Care Clinic, as well as a selection of beauty products, cosmetics, fragrances, skincare products and everyday essentials.
The store is led by pharmacist-owner Senamin Skevie Ahouansou.
Maxi Saint-Georges
Situated next door to Pharmaprix at 17340 Lacroix Boulevard, Maxi’s newest location represents a multi-million dollar investment.
The store offers the discount banner’s usual fare: fresh produce, meats, local cheeses and organic and natural products. Featuring Maxi’s “latest store concept,” the supermarket is designed with modern decor, warm LED lighting and “playful signage.”
Maxi is marking the opening by expanding its selection of products from local and regional suppliers such as Miel d'Émilie, Aliments Bégin, Chez Gérard, Pépite d'or and others.
Store manager Jean-Philippe Deschamps presented a $2,500 donation to Moisson Beauce on opening day.
Brad & Briana’s No Frills
Located at 2920 26 Avenue South in Lethbridge, Alta., the discount supermarket offers a full grocery shop, with produce, everyday essentials, an in-store bakery and hot chickens, along with local and multicultural foods and a variety of natural food options.
Owners Brad and Briana Prochnau bring more than a decade of retail experience to the store, with Brad’s parents having previously owned a No Frills.
The store will also participate in the Loop program, helping redirect food that cannot be donated to local food banks to local farms.
To celebrate the grand opening, Brad & Briana’s No Frills donated $1,000 to the Lethbridge Food Bank and $1,000 to The Last Chance Cat Ranch.
Russell & Lee’s No Frills
No Frills debuted its new look in Atlantic Canada this week with the opening of Russell & Lee’s No Frills.
The banner’s second location in Paradise, N.L.—previously reported by Canadian Grocer—offers produce, fresh meat, frozen foods, everyday essentials and an assortment of other products.
Located at 1641 Topsail Road, the 22,000 square-foot store also features in-store baked goods, hot chickens and a selection of multicultural foods and a variety of everyday essentials.
For Store Owners Russell and Lee Hamlyn, the opening marks the start of a new chapter in their journey with No Frills. Originally from Central Newfoundland, Russell moved to Alberta in 1992 before returning to the province in 2021, where he continued his journey as a No Frills store owner. He has more than 25 years of experience at Loblaw, including helping open more than 40 No Frills stores across Western Canada.
To celebrate the grand opening, Russell & Lee’s No Frills donated $750 to Rovers Search and Rescue, and $750 to the Kin Club of Paradise.
