Disfellowship Of Loblaw Stores in Canada are in the works and while it may not have a huge impact on the company’s bottom line, it could be small grocerCo-ops and other businesses say they’re seeing a boost.
For Gateway Meat Market in Nova Scotia, that means long lines — sometimes out the door — drilling home why their recent improved expansion was important.
Co-owner Tamara Selig told Global News that amid inflation and food insecurity, lines have extended into parking lots. And as calls for a boycott movement against the retail giant grow, they’re hearing the anger customers are feeling.
“Certainly, the whole mentality of not being able to buy groceries right now is very sad,” she said. “It’s very frustrating and it’s really cool to see the different looks on their faces when they come into our store.”
Selig said the store runs on “very low-profit margins” while selling large volumes, bringing in several tractor-trailer loads each day and week without a distribution center.
That’s why they’re able to offer items like organic strawberries for $0.97 a pound, he said. By comparison, a pound of strawberries at the Loblaw-owned Atlantic Superstore in Halifax can often cost $5.99 or more.
The low costs are attracting customers from outside the province.
“As long as they are able to stock up and get good supplies, they are willing to drive hours to reach us and are even coming from outside the province at this time,” she said.
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Karma Co-op in Toronto is another grocery store that’s getting a boost from the boycott, some of it coming from online buzz.
“The primary way people hear about us is through our members talking about what we’re doing,” said Zachary Weingarten, general manager of Karma. “There are definitely people talking about the Loblaws boycott. Whenever someone mentions us on Facebook I get pings and we come up in all these different threads.
Karma is a non-profit grocery store owned by the people who shop there. Non-owners can do this, but they are encouraged to become members and vote on how things are run.
Store manager Zachary Weingarten helps members withdraw cash at the Karma Co-op food store in Toronto, Friday, March 15, 2024. Weingarten says co-ops are getting a boost as consumers become increasingly frustrated with big retailers.
The Canadian Press/Chris Young
Like Gateway, they also have no distribution center and focus on local organic, fair trade and zero-waste products, meaning they have a relationship with the suppliers and farmers who sell them.
Weingarten says they also take samples.
“People are craving community right now, and that’s something they can really find at Karma that sets us apart from a traditional grocery store,” he said.
That connection could be important to many Canadians, said Regina grower Ian Paslowski. As the son of farmers, he says he’s seen how knowing where food comes from can help people choose their food.
Paslowski started growing and selling microgreens — small, edible plants made from the seeds of various vegetables like radishes — out of her Regina home and now has customers from all over the city for her business, IG Fresh.
“They’re just looking for a connection to their food, just getting better quality,” he said. “When you know your farmer and you know they take pride and care in growing that produce for you.”
While the Loblaw boycott may not have much of an impact on the corporate giant, small store owners and growers say there are encouraging signs that Canadians are ready to think outside of big box stores when it comes to getting groceries.
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