![]() | |
Industry | Grocery |
---|---|
Founded | 1981 |
Founder | Jean-Louis and Collette Bellemare |
Headquarters | , Canada |
Number of locations | 47 [1] |
Area served | Ontario |
Parent | Empire Company (2018–present) |
Website | farmboy.ca |
Farm Boy Inc. is a Canadian specialty food retailer operating in the province of Ontario. The company is based in Ottawa, Ontario. Since 2018, the company is majority owned by the Sobeys grocery chain's parent company, Empire Company Ltd. [2]
The retailer markets itself as selling fresh produce and food products, emphasizing their branding on farm-to-table. Its current slogan can be found under the Farm Boy sign on its stores, "It's All About The Food." The stores are smaller than large supermarket chain locations and are usually located on major streets with room for large parking lots for automobile access. However, they are also conveniently located in malls and urban areas with little parking that caters to downtown pedestrians. The company has its own private label, Farm Boy, on its packaged food.
On December 2, 1981, Collette and Jean-Louis Bellemare opened the first Farm Boy on Cumberland Street in Cornwall, Ontario. At that time, the modest 300 sq. ft. store sold only produce. [3] The original store was moved in 1984 by Jean-Louis and his brother Normand Bellemare. [3] [4] The move to their 5,000 sq. ft. (460 m2) [5] Sydney Street location allowed them to expand their products beyond produce with dairy, deli, cheese, and meat product lines. An in-store bakery and bulk food were later added. [3]
By 1992, the success of Farm Boy allowed the family to expand the business into Ottawa. Beginning on Centrum Boulevard in Orleans, the company expanded in Ottawa with eight additional stores by 2007. [4] Store openings included Nepean on Merivale Road (1996), Hillside Plaza on Montreal Road (1997), Kanata (1997), Blossom Park (2003), and a second Orleans location (2004). The Ottawa expansion continued with new stores in Barrhaven (2006), Blue Heron Mall on Bank Street (2006), and the Kanata Signature Centre (2007). [6] Ottawa continued gaining Farm Boy locations at Britannia Plaza (2011), Stittsville (2011), Place d'Orleans (2012), which was the first store to offer an in-store eating area.
In the fall of 2003, the Bellemares created a board of directors to oversee the company's overall direction and appointed Jeff York as the new President of Farm Boy in 2009. In 2012, Normand and Daniel Bellemare stepped down as the Boston-based investment group Berkshire Partners invested in the company. [7]
In 2012, Farm Boy expanded to Kingston, Ontario. [8] In 2014, Farm Boy expanded to London, Ontario. Citing success in its first London location at Wellington Road just north of Bradley Ave, the company announced two more locations would open in the spring of 2015. The first is located near CF Masonville Place in the city's north end, and the region's largest store is located at Wonderland and Beaverbrook, just west of Western University. The Wonderland and Beaverbrook location also has the company's regional offices. [9] [10] In the summer of 2015, Farm Boy furthered its expansion with its first location in Kitchener and Whitby. In the summer of 2016, another store was opened in the Westboro neighbourhood of Ottawa. This store was meant as an experiment for the company to have a more central location with a greater focus on in-store dining with a larger eating area and "Farm Boy Kitchen" prepared food area. In July 2017, it was announced that Farm Boy would be taking over part of the former food court location at CF Rideau Centre in downtown Ottawa, [11] which opened mid-December 2017. On March 1, 2018, Farm Boy opened their first store in Toronto, in the district of Etobicoke at Alderwood Plaza. On March 22, 2018, the company opened their 26th location in Hamilton at Harvard Square Plaza.
On September 24, 2018, Empire Company Limited, parent of the Sobeys chain of supermarkets, announced that it had signed an agreement to purchase Farm Boy from Berkshire Partners and Farm Boy's management shareholders [2] in a deal worth CA$800 million. Regulatory approval was required for the purchase. [12]
Farm Boy founder Jean-Louis Bellemare, his co-CEO Jeff York and other members of the senior executives will stay on and reinvest to own a 12% share in the new company, which will operate as a separate entity. [13] The new ownership will allow Farm Boy to continue with aggressive expansion plans into south-western Ontario, and in particular the Toronto region. [14] The business was expected to double over the next five years. [15]
Empire had no intention of integrating Farm Boy into their major chains. Michael Medline, President and CEO of Empire Company Limited, assured consumers that they will continue to get the shopping experience that defines Farm Boy. On Twitter, he made this comment in reply to many who had expressed concern: "I can assure you that we will not screw this up." Medline also told analysts in a conference call, "We do not want to ruin the magic of Farm Boy by trying to integrate them. We love what Farm Boy is doing; it has the best brand ... we want to see it grow ... We intend to enable the leadership team of Farm Boy to do what they do best: grow a highly successful retail format at double-digit rates". [2] Farm Boy products will not be sold in Empire's other chains nor will Farm Boy stock their brands. Farm Boy products will be included in the Ocado-based e-commerce business expected to start in 2020 but as a separate entity from the other Empire chains. [13]
By September 2018, the chain had 26 stores and annual sales of CA$500 million. The Financial Post summarized the store's appeal as, "It’s known for its fresh products, pre-made food, smaller stores and private label products". [13] The company announced that its focus for future expansion will be on both urban and suburban locations around Ontario. [16]
As of March 2024, there are 48 Farm Boy locations. [17]
Metro Inc. is a Canadian food retailer operating in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The company is based in Montreal, Quebec, with head office at 11011 Boulevard Maurice-Duplessis. Metro is the third largest grocer in Canada, after Loblaw Companies Limited and Sobeys.
Sobeys Inc. is a national supermarket chain in Canada with over 1,500 stores operating under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales of more than C$25.1 billion in the fiscal 2019 operating year. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited, a Canadian business conglomerate.
Save A Lot Food Stores Ltd. is an American discount supermarket chain store headquartered in St. Ann, Missouri, in Greater St. Louis. It has about 900 independently owned and operated stores across 32 states in the United States with over $4 billion in annual sales.
99 Ranch Market is an American supermarket chain owned by Tawa Supermarket Inc., which is based in Buena Park, California. 99 Ranch has 58 stores in the U.S., primarily in California, with other stores in Nevada, Oregon, Washington, New Jersey, Texas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Virginia. The company also started offering shopping via its website in 2014. In February 2021, the company also launched their mobile app for grocery delivery.
T&T Supermarket is a Canadian supermarket chain that sells primarily Asian foods, including fresh produce, meat, seafood, and Asian packaged goods. It also sells kitchenware and gifts, and has in-store kitchens and bakeries. T&T Supermarket was founded in Vancouver in 1993 by Cindy Lee. It is currently led by CEO Tina Lee, who succeeded her mother in 2014. In 2009, T&T Supermarket was acquired by Loblaw Companies Limited.
Safeway, Inc. is an American supermarket chain. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, delicatessen, floral and pharmacy, as well as Starbucks coffee shops and fuel centers. It is a subsidiary of Albertsons after being acquired by private equity investors led by Cerberus Capital Management in January 2015. Safeway's primary base of operations is in the Western United States with some stores located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern Seaboard. The subsidiary is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.
Empire Company Limited is a Canadian conglomerate engaged mostly in food retail and corporate investments. Founded in 1963, the company is headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia and owns the Sobeys supermarket chain. In total, the company owns, affiliates or franchises more than 1,500 stores; in addition to Sobeys, brands include Safeway, IGA, Foodland, Farm Boy, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods and Lawtons Drug.
Price Chopper Supermarkets is an American supermarket chain owned by Northeast Grocery, headquartered in Schenectady, New York. The chain opened its first supermarkets in New York's Capital District in 1932, and changed its name from Central Market to Price Chopper in 1973. It operates 129 stores in six states: Upstate New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. It operates stores under the Price Chopper, Market Bistro, and Market 32 banners.
IGA, Inc., is a franchised chain of grocery stores that operates in more than 41 countries. Unlike chain stores, IGA franchises are independently owned and operated. Many of these stores operate in small-town markets and belong to families that manage them. IGA was founded in the United States as the Independent Grocers Alliance in 1926. The headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois.
The Oshawa Group was once a leading owner of supermarkets in Ontario, Canada. It was bought by Sobeys in 1998. The company was based in Etobicoke and traded on the Toronto and Montreal stock exchanges.
Steinberg's was a large family-owned Canadian grocery store chain that mainly operated in the province of Quebec and later Ontario. In addition to its flagship supermarket chain, the company operated several subsidiaries across the country. The company went bankrupt in 1992, three years after being sold to private interests, after 75 years in business.
No Frills is a Canadian chain of discount supermarkets, owned by Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited. There are over 200 franchise stores located in nine Canadian provinces.
FreshCo Ltd. is a Canadian chain of discount supermarkets owned by Sobeys. It was launched in March 2010. As of September 2023, there were 100 FreshCo stores.
Commisso's Food Markets was a Canadian supermarket chain based in Beamsville, Ontario. Operating under Commisso's Grocery Distributors Limited, the chain was part of one of the largest independently owned grocery and food distribution chains in Southern Ontario. At its peak, Commisso's operated a wholesale business and distribution centre, six cash and carry outlets, and 16 supermarkets across the Niagara and Hamilton areas, where its commitment to "quality products, friendly people and low prices" proved very popular.
Bristol Farms is an upscale grocery store chain in California, United States. Founded in Los Angeles County, Bristol Farms operates 19 stores: 13 as Bristol Farms locations and 6 branded as Lazy Acres Markets throughout Southern California. The company is currently owned by Good Food Holdings.
Longo Brothers Fruit Markets Inc., commonly known as Longo's, is a Canadian chain of retail supermarkets and grocery delivery service that serves the Southern Ontario area. It is controlled by Sobeys parent Empire Company in partnership with the founding Longo family. Its corporate office is located in Vaughan, Ontario, and it operates locations mainly in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
Market Fresh was a Gatineau, Quebec-based supermarket chain which specialized in fresh food products including fruits, vegetables, dairy, breads, and prepared-products including some meat.
Target Canada Co. was the Canadian subsidiary of the Target Corporation, the eighth-largest retailer in the United States. Formerly headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, the subsidiary formed with the acquisition of Zellers store leases from the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in January 2011. Target Canada opened its first store in March 2013, and by January 2015 was operating 133 locations throughout Canada. Its main competition included Walmart Canada, Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Canadian Tire.
Safeway is a Canadian supermarket chain of 135 full service supermarket stores mostly operating in the western provinces in Canada. It was established in 1929 as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold in 2013 to Canada's second-largest supermarket chain, Sobeys, a division of the conglomerate Empire Company. Independent since 2013 from the American company it continues to use the same Safeway name and logo as of May 2023.