adma
Superstar
Maybe if you live around the corner from a Price Chopper and/or have a flyer showing particular deals there...
If I were visiting Toronto and staying at the Gladstone, I'd shop "out back".
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T&T Supermarket Chain acquired by Loblaws
- Thread starter JasonParis
- Start date
Maybe if you live around the corner from a Price Chopper and/or have a flyer showing particular deals there...
If I were visiting Toronto and staying at the Gladstone, I'd shop "out back".
Eug
Senior Member
A dynasty built on instinct
T&T struggled with basics, from tracking inventory to keeping produce fresh, either drenched with mist or frozen from too much refrigeration. A year in, with only six months of capital left, the stress tearing Ms. Lee apart, she sought advice from her father back in Taiwan. He advised her to present a composed front to stave off potentially fretful suppliers and told her to hire experienced help – fast.
It worked. Details were tended to and the customers kept coming. Along the way, Ms. Lee devoured ideas and information. She raced through Chinese translations of tomes from American titans such as Sam Walton's Made in America. On a trip to Taiwan, when she saw kiosks selling sushi to commuters, she copied the idea.
The T&T-Loblaw link began in 2008, when Joe Burnett, reclusive Toronto billionaire, and chairman of real estate developer and produce distributor Burnac Corp., visited a T&T. He was awed by what he found. Burnac was a supplier to T&T, as well as Loblaw, and Mr. Burnett soon met with Ms. Lee in Vancouver. He was further impressed and she latched on to his industry smarts.
Mr. Burnett gave advice: He saw the majority ownership of T&T by two foreign firms as “somewhat of a shambles.” But the busy aisles of the store in downtown Toronto stuck with him. It clearly drew customers from beyond the couple of kilometres typical for the industry. “It's a destination,” Mr. Burnett says. “She could have 25 stores.”
T&T struggled with basics, from tracking inventory to keeping produce fresh, either drenched with mist or frozen from too much refrigeration. A year in, with only six months of capital left, the stress tearing Ms. Lee apart, she sought advice from her father back in Taiwan. He advised her to present a composed front to stave off potentially fretful suppliers and told her to hire experienced help – fast.
It worked. Details were tended to and the customers kept coming. Along the way, Ms. Lee devoured ideas and information. She raced through Chinese translations of tomes from American titans such as Sam Walton's Made in America. On a trip to Taiwan, when she saw kiosks selling sushi to commuters, she copied the idea.
The T&T-Loblaw link began in 2008, when Joe Burnett, reclusive Toronto billionaire, and chairman of real estate developer and produce distributor Burnac Corp., visited a T&T. He was awed by what he found. Burnac was a supplier to T&T, as well as Loblaw, and Mr. Burnett soon met with Ms. Lee in Vancouver. He was further impressed and she latched on to his industry smarts.
Mr. Burnett gave advice: He saw the majority ownership of T&T by two foreign firms as “somewhat of a shambles.” But the busy aisles of the store in downtown Toronto stuck with him. It clearly drew customers from beyond the couple of kilometres typical for the industry. “It's a destination,” Mr. Burnett says. “She could have 25 stores.”
Some of the No Frills are quite unpleasant to be in.No Frills=why would you shop anywhere else for basics?
afransen
Senior Member
I'm puzzled why T&T's former owners didn't devote a lot more capital and expertise. I suppose the investment was somewhat half-hearted, seeing as they were willing to divest for not a huge premium. Loblaws does some things pretty well, and it has a lot of pricing power with suppliers and a lot of real estate expertise, two things that ought to be a benefit for T&T without necessarily requiring much tinkering with their business model. I have to imagine that eventually some of their distribution will be done by Loblaws...
Felino
Banned
Does this mean that T&T will stop playing latin music in the parking lot?