Metro moves in to West Queen West

Metro has set up shop in Toronto’s trendy West Queen West neighbourhood.

The location was chosen because “we believed that this growing and vibrant urban market was void of a high-quality, fresh-focused food store,” said Joe Fusco, senior vice-president of Metro, in an email to Canadian Grocer.

The new 14,156-sq.-ft. urban store features a large selection of organic meats and produce; sustainable seafood; artisan cheeses; made-to-order pizza and ready-made foods; a juice counter; cakes and pastries made on-site; and a wide assortment of organic, health and wellness products.

Metro West Queen West is also bringing in fresh products from a variety of local vendors, including organic chicken from Yorkshire Valley Farms in Etobicoke, pastries from Dufflet in Toronto, and Portuguese products from Borges Foods in Mississauga.

“The neighbourhood is made up of young professionals who are looking for quick meal solutions on the go,” said Fusco. “We offer a number of ready-made solutions that meet their busy lifestyles. The West Queen West neighbourhood is also made up of a large Portuguese community and we’ve curated the product selection to reflect this.”

Like other new-build urban and renovated Metro stores, Metro West Queen West features stainless steel accents, open loft-like ceilings, subway inspired tiling on key feature walls and dark wood produce tables.

Those design elements “create a dramatic backdrop for our fresh, colourful produce and modern glass service counters that put our fresh food on optimal display,” said Fusco.

“We also include as many open-concept service fresh departments in these stores, so that our employees are more visible to our customers, facilitating more interaction.”

Fusco said there have been 10 completed renovations across Ontario this year that have received a new décor package, including Metro Rebecca Street in Oakville, Metro Upper Middle in Oakville, Metro Beechwood in Ottawa and Metro Amberlea in Pickering.

To celebrate the opening of Metro West Queen West on June 15, the first 100 customers received a limited-edited Metro tote featuring a “Metro red” bottom and a Canada 150 maple leaf design. Throughout opening weekend, the store offered free samples, hosted a neighbourhood barbecue, a pedicab service offering rides home from the store, and surprise gift card giveaways.