November 2011
The Interview Issue – Pete Luckett
Pete Luckett learned all about sales and retail while working as a teenager in England’s competitive open markets. At 21 he opened his first Pete’s Frootique, in Nottingham, then hopped across the pond to Canada, eventually opening a Pete’s store in Halifax. Now with two stores and a third underway, Luckett remains a contagious optimist. “If you do things with sizzle, passion and pride, you’ll find opportunities,” he says.
The Interview Issue – Annick Gazaille
IGA Gazaille’s Annick Gazaille is the true definition of an innovative, resourceful, passionate grocer. She grew up the daughter of a grocer, and worked alongside her father as a part-time cashier from the age of 10. Now out from her father’s shadow, she owns four IGA stores, all located within 30 minutes of one another in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Never one to settle, she’s an advocate for independent grocers in Quebec, having taken on the provincial government to get compensated for collecting empty bottles.
The Interview Issue – Mark McEwan
There’s no doubt that celebrity chef Mark McEwan knows a thing or two about the restaurant world. He’s the owner of such successful Toronto culinary destinations as North 44, Bymark and One. And two years ago he dove into retail, opening McEwan, a gourmet grocery shop in a trendy outdoor Toronto mall. The 22,500-sq.-ft. space is European-influenced with counters serving charcuterie, seafood and cheese alongside prepared meals made on site, inspired by McEwan’s restaurant dishes.
The Interview Issue – Galen Weston
As executive chairman of Loblaw Companies, Galen Weston has made healthy eating and sustainability initiatives a big priority for Canada’s largest grocer. Still, most Canadians know Weston as the star of President’s Choice commercials. His everyman demeanour on TV seems to have caught on with them. He was named Canada’s most gentlemanly man in a recent poll, alongside actor George Clooney.
The Interview Issue – François Bouchard
François Bouchard has made good on a promise he made back in 1986 as the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers’ first scholarship recipient: to give back to the industry. He’s a strong advocate of young people working in grocery and leads by example, having himself bypassed a career in consumer goods. As owner of the Country Grocer in Ottawa, Bouchard leads a successful retail business and an online one as well.
The Interview Issue – Steve van der Leest
Steve van der Leest has done just about everything in the grocery store, from part-time bagger, to store manager, to independent owner. He’s spent the last 38 years with Overwaitea Food Group, and as its president oversees more than 120 stores in the West under banners such as Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea Foods and Urban Fare. Van der Leest has long been involved in industry associations and this year was made a lifetime member of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.
The Interview Issue – Shelley Broader
Walmart Canada’s new boss, Shelley Broader, started her career in finance advising U.S. grocery chains. Then she became a grocer, joining New England’s Hannaford Bros., where she ran its Kash n’ Karry and Sweetbay supermarkets. After 17 years there, Broader became president of the craft chain Michaels, then last year joined Walmart Canada as chief merchandising officer. In September, she was named president and CEO.
The Interview Issue – Frank Coleman
Frank Coleman is CEO of Colemans Food Centres in Newfoundland. The 12-store independent is famous for its fabulous in-store events and for programs that promote healthy eating to school-aged kids. The grandson of the company’s founders, Coleman has led the business since 1986. Last year he was named Top CEO in Atlantic Canada by Atlantic Business magazine. And this month he’ll receive the grocery industry’s highest honour for lifetime achievement, the Golden Pencil award.
The Interview Issue – Bill Chen
Bill Chen arrived in Toronto, in 1999, from Fuqing, China, and immediately began working in a supermarket. Today, at 35, he owns two: Sunny Supermarket, a higher-end Asian store; and Sunny Foodmart, a beautifully merchandised discount store. Chen would like to open at least three more stores over the next five years, not just in Toronto but also in Quebec. “I want Sunny to be a well-known brand in the grocery business,” he says.
The Interview Issue – Eric La Flèche
After graduating from Harvard with an MBA in 1991, Eric La Flèche called up Pierre Lessard, then president of Metro, and asked for a job. Lessard must have been impressed because he hired him. Over the next 17 years, La Flèche moved up the corporate ladder, becoming VP of Metro’s Super C discount chain and getting involved with several acquisitions, from Metro’s purchase of 48 Steinberg stores in 1992 to acquiring Loeb in 1999. La Flèche was named COO in 2005, the same year Metro bought A&P, and, three years ago, CEO.
The Interview Issue – Bill McEwan
President and CEO of Sobeys Inc., Bill McEwan, started in the grocery industry at age 15, working at a Ferraro’s Super Valu store in British Columbia. He spent the next 13 years with the company, then moved on to hold senior marketing and merchandising roles at Coca-Cola and A&P, both in Canada and in the United States, before joining Sobeys, in 2000. Today he also sits on the boards of international food retailer Delhaize Group and the global Consumer Goods Forum.
The Interview Issue – Anthony Longo
Anthony Longo was born into the grocery business. “All of the kids, my brother and sisters and cousins, worked part time while going to school,” he recalls of youthful days spent working at Longo Brothers, the Toronto independent founded by his dad and uncles, in 1956. After college, Longo thought about working elsewhere. Then his dad asked him to help out at a new store. “I agreed and have been in the business full time ever since.”
UP and coming talent
Meet the finalists of our first annual Generation Next Awards. These under-40 grocery professionals are already making big contributions to the industry
Family affair
Small, tough and independent, more than a century ago family grocers set the stage for today’s retail food industry. And they’re still here
Crazy for coffee!
Coffee is hot stuff in this country with Canadians continuing to regularly fill their cups and carts with this popular brew. Innovation in the category is helping ensure things stay this way
A new beginning
Canada’s largest grocery retailers have embarked on a new approach to managing industry issues by establishing the Retail Council of Canada’s Grocery Division
Tweet this!
Consumer packaged goods rms are all over social media. Retailers have some serious catching up to do
The remarkable Alex Campbell
A legend in the business, he never forgot that a grocery store also had to be the centre of the community
The power of premium
Yes, times are tough. But more Canadians are searching the aisles for high-end products
Back to the future
As Canadian Grocer celebrates its 125th anniversary, we salute the leaders and future leaders in grocery
