Sobeys Urban Fresh store becoming Farm Boy in Ottawa

Empire is converting a Sobeys Urban Fresh store in downtown Ottawa to a Farm Boy--the popular Ontario-based grocery retailer it purchased for $800 million nearly one year ago.

Located at 193 Metcalfe Street, the 28,000 -sq.-ft. space will be built around Farm Boy's urban fresh concept that includes a hot bar, a salad bar and a fast-casual restaurant in addition to produce, butcher quality meats and artisanal cheese. The store will also have a made-to-order grilling station serving daily breakfast, lunch and dinner features.

"Busy commuters and shoppers working in the downtown Ottawa area will be thrilled with our healthy, fresh, wholesome foods and friendly service," said Jeff York, Farm Boy co-CEO, in a press release. “We launched our first fresh urban concept store in Ottawa’s Westboro neighbourhood in 2017, then added another at CF Rideau Centre. We can’t wait to expand our proven fresh urban concept further in Ottawa’s downtown core.”

The Sobeys Urban Fresh store will close Aug. 6 for renovations and is expected to reopen spring 2020. Employees will be transferred to nearby Sobeys and Farm Boy locations.