Downtown Grocery Store List (current + proposed)

[Richard White]

Ace was good when they were doing all freshly baked products.

Now they are pretty much entirely par-baked, with the stores just finishing them off.

They are still a very good product for what they are; but it's not that same as freshly baked.

But I regularly stock their par-baked product at home in the freezer for when I need a baguette and don't have the time to run out to a good bakery to fetch one (and/or they're closed)

When I started at Maple Leaf Gardens in 2012 the premise was that the bread from ACE Bakery was shipped in fresh every morning. That was one of the store's selling features.

 

[Northern Light]

When I started at Maple Leaf Gardens in 2012 the premise was that the bread from ACE Bakery was shipped in fresh every morning. That was one of the store's selling features.

MLG had some special features and deals, including on-site scratch bakers, that other Loblaws didn't have.

Many of those features have since been watered down, unfortunately.

 

[Towered]

I guess this is appropriate here though it's not "downtown" centric, maybe the mods should change it to "general grocery store news" or something; today the George Weston company (owners of Loblaws) announced they are putting their Weston Foods bakery business up for sale. This includes the Loblaws brands like ACE Bakery and La Baguetterie, and also the national bread brand Country Harvest.

EDIT: This could be fallout from the bread price-fixing scandal.

NO!! The cookies are amazing...

 

[tegid]

Still wondering about this grocery store-sized space on Merchants' Wharf in the East Bayfront neighbourhood. Anyone know what might be moving in here?

 

[Northern Light]

Still wondering about this grocery store-sized space on Merchants' Wharf in the East Bayfront neighbourhood. Anyone know what might be moving in here?

View attachment 308745

At one point, I believe Organic Garage was supposed to be going in here; but it's not listed on their website.

Organic Garage Provides Corporate Update for 2018 and Outlook for 2019

TORONTO — Organic Garage Ltd. (TSXV:OG) (“Organic Garage” or the “Company”), an independent organic and natural foods grocery chain, is pleased to provide a…

financialpost.com

 

[smably]

At one point, I believe Organic Garage was supposed to be going in here; but it's not listed on their website.

Organic Garage Provides Corporate Update for 2018 and Outlook for 2019

TORONTO — Organic Garage Ltd. (TSXV:OG) (“Organic Garage” or the “Company”), an independent organic and natural foods grocery chain, is pleased to provide a…

financialpost.com

Sadly cancelled! https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threa...-13s-tridel-arquitectonica.20695/post-1618495

 

[Northern Light]

Sadly cancelled! https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threa...-13s-tridel-arquitectonica.20695/post-1618495

You're more efficient that their PR people who I reached out to...

LOL

No surprise there.

 

[Northern Light]

It appears the space is still for lease by First Capital:

FCR - Bayside Village

Located in the emerging East Bayfront District in downtown Toronto is First Capital’s Bayside Village, a mixed-use new development that features luxury condos, restaurants, shops, cultural venues, office space, parks, trails and a lakefront promenade. Phase One – Aqualina, consists of 21,400 sf...

fcr.ca

I haven't heard anything about this spot lately.

 

[Undead]

Is it just me or do the downtown grocery stores tend to be primarily upmarket? I know there's the No Frills on Front East, but otherwise most of the discount chains seem to be on the outskirts of downtown.

 

[afransen]

Is it just me or do the downtown grocery stores tend to be primarily upmarket? I know there's the No Frills on Front East, but otherwise most of the discount chains seem to be on the outskirts of downtown.

Not exactly surprising? Downmarket chains cater to people to pantry load, do more home cooking, etc. Downtown residents don't have room to pantry load, like convenience food/ready meals and less likely to cook. And the margins needed to pay for expensive real estate are harder to work into a discount format.

 

[AlbertC]

The Chinatown stores are a common source of groceries for students who live in that general part of downtown. It's close to the U of T area. I also knew people who went to Ryerson and rented a place downtown near there and often bought groceries in Chinatown.

 

[Northern Light]

Is it just me or do the downtown grocery stores tend to be primarily upmarket? I know there's the No Frills on Front East, but otherwise most of the discount chains seem to be on the outskirts of downtown.

@afransen has it right above; I'll add that the discounters are where the TCHC/Coops are for the most part; market-housing downtown is comparatively expensive.

So you'll see 3 discounters in the vicinity of St. Jamestown (Food Basics, Freshco and NF); you have another Freshco at Regent Park, NF near the St. Lawrence area.

The exceptions in the mix are the Moss Park area, though the Regent Park Freshco isn't too far; the dollarstore on Sherbourne north of Queen was a supermarket when the complex was built and for decades afterwards.

Also Alexandra Park doesn't really have a discounter close at hand.

 

[AlbertC]

@afransen has it right above; I'll add that the discounters are where the TCHC/Coops are for the most part; market-housing downtown is comparatively expensive.

So you'll see 3 discounters in the vicinity of St. Jamestown (Food Basics, Freshco and NF); you have another Freshco at Regent Park, NF near the St. Lawrence area.

The exceptions in the mix are the Moss Park area, though the Regent Park Freshco isn't too far; the dollarstore on Sherbourne north of Queen was a supermarket when the complex was built and for decades afterwards.

Also Alexandra Park doesn't really have a discounter close at hand.

For a while Alexandra Park didn't have one, but there is a Freshco now on Bathurst, north of Dundas.

 

[GKW]

Rowe Farms will be opening up on Danforth at Logan in the former space that were fruit & veg markets before, The Seasonal Basket, and Harvest Nature.

 

[Northern Light]

Farm Boy's re-do of the Queen's Quay Sobeys opens next week: