Walk the aisles of Adonis's new London, Ont. store
Adonis, the Metro-owned Mediterranean and Middle Eastern supermarket chain, opened its second-largest store to date in London, Ont. on Aug. 14.
The 46,488-sq.-ft. location debuts a new look that will be carried into future openings and applied to existing sites if they undergo renovations. It also represents the chain’s first expansion beyond Montreal, Ottawa and the Greater Toronto Area.
Located at 3245 Wonderland Road South, the London store is Adonis’s fifth in Ontario and 16th overall. Situated in the Westwood Power Centre—part of phase three of the complex’s expansion, which already features Home Depot, Winners, Sport Chek and Sephora—it stands out as the centre’s only grocery option. The store employs 152 people.
“We had a lineup of over 300 people waiting to be the first in,” says Eric Provost, VP at Adonis, noting that first-day customers each received a free reusable bag. “There really aren’t a lot of options in London aside from small butcher shops and specialty grocery stores for finding the kinds of products available at Adonis.”
At the centre of the store, Adonis’s signature pita facility showcases a visible production line, while 320 feet of perimeter service counters—spanning meat, olives, cheeses and more — make it the longest in any Canadian grocery store, Provost says.
The store’s uniqueness was reflected in its top-selling SKU on opening day: fresh yellow dates.
“It wasn’t grapes, cherries or apples—but dates from Jordan, because you can’t get them anywhere else in the region,” says Provost. “Here, you find a wide variety of produce from all over the world.”
The London location marks a significant design shift. While existing Adonis stores feature bright reds, yellows, oranges and greens, the new palette is more subdued, with earthy tones designed to make the vibrant colours of produce and other products stand out.
“We spent six months developing this new décor and colour palette, and it really reflects a fresh start for us,” says Provost, who spent opening day on the floor speaking with customers. “We asked a lot of questions about the colour, the music, the ambience—and the response was very positive. The new palette will be rolled out to all new stores as well as locations undergoing renovations.”
As for expansion outside the chain’s core markets, Provost calls London “a very good pilot,” noting the city is home to both a large South Asian community and a significant Middle Eastern population. “We’ve added a lot of South Asian products in the store, which is a bit of a twist on our usual selection.”
To promote the launch, Adonis partnered with local influencers, including My Life in Canada (mylifeincanada_official), who has more than 164,000 followers on Instagram and 52,000 on TikTok.
The company also donated $30,000 to local food groups and faith-based organizations.
