Loblaw Grows No Frills, T&T Chains

Canadian grocery giant Loblaw (Branford, Ont.) has unveiled plans for two noteworthy new stores in recent days: the opening of a downsized No Frills outlet in downtown Toronto and plans for its second T&T Supermarket in America (that will also be its second outlet in the state of Washington).

No Frills’ first small-format store is offers customers a selection of grocery, full produce and meat offerings, and the low prices as well as in-store and flyer promotions of No Frills.

“The new, smaller format gives us flexibility when determining new locations, whether in urban or rural settings, we can now open stores where Canadians need them most, improving access to lower cost food,” said Melanie Singh, President of Hard Discount, Loblaw. “While smaller in size, the shopping experience will be comparable to the large format store – we design each new location with a full grocery shop in mind, according to the customers who shop there, stocking the brands and products they want most at the prices they have come to expect from No Frills.”

Highlights of the new store include:

• A footprint of under 15,000 square feet, less than half the size of a traditional No Frills location.
• Special products and formats, locally sourced to meet community tastes.
• New products, including hot food, rotisserie chicken and fresh bakery.

Founded in 1978, the No Frills brand now consists of more than 250 franchised locales across Canada.

Meantime, T&T – the largest Asian grocery retailer in Canada, with more than 30 stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario – has announced plans for a second location in Washington state, in Lynnwood.

“We never stopped looking at locations in Washington after the announcement of our flagship store in Bellevue,” said T&T CEO Tina Lee. “There’s excellent growth potential here, and although we originally planned on only committing to a second location after Bellevue opens, we just couldn’t resist this opportunity. It’s a great location in a former grocery box – at 30,000 square feet, it’s a fitting size for Lynnwood.”

Last year T&T announced its move into the U.S. with a flagship store in Bellevue, Wash. Originally scheduled to open this summer, Lee noted that that has been delayed until later in the year, due to the delayed shipment of a vital electrical panel. “We do not have an official opening date for Bellevue yet, but we are determined to open later in the year,” Lee said.
The Lynnwood store is expected to open Summer 2025. T&T Supermarkets was founded in Vancouver in 1993 and is headquartered in Richmond, B.C.

In addition to the two banners discussed above, Loblaw’s brands include: President’s Choice, No Name, Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart, Real Canadian Superstore, Joe Fresh, PC Express and PC Financial.