South Asian concept Chalo FreshCo heads West

Four years
after Sobeys Inc. launched Chalo FreshCo in Ontario, the South Asian-focused discount banner expanded into Western Canada.

Two locations opened in Surrey B.C., in the neighbourhoods of Strawberry Hill and Newton, which have big South Asian populations.

Chalo Freshco offers a variety of North American products, food and fresh produce, as well as a large South Asian product assortment, including dhal, rice and flour. Chalo FreshCo locations also feature an in-store pharmacy.

The new stores are owned and operated by two local business owners with teams of more than 100 employees at each store.

Opening day celebrations included special traditional Bhangra dance performances put on by two local Canadian Bhangra dance groups. To commemorate the openings, each Chalo FreshCo store donated $5,000 to the Surrey Food Bank.

“We’ve built our in-store to meet the needs of the local community,” said Chris Phillipson, owner and operator of the Newton Chalo FreshCo, in a press release. “Our expansive fresh produce assortment features discount pricing that does not compromise on quality. We’ve also partnered with two local businesses for our halal, meat and seafood offering: TaQwa Halal Foods and Fraserview Meats and Seafood.”

READ: Chalo FreshCo opens newest store in Brampton, Ont.

Sobeys opened its first Chalo FreshCo in 2015 after research showed many South Asians were visiting several stores each week to get their groceries. Chalo FreshCo was designed to give those shoppers all the products they need, under one roof.

There are currently four Chalo FreshCo locations in Ontario. Chalo means “let’s go” in Punjabi and Hindi.