Farm Boy adding to its store count

Farm Boy continues its expansion into the Golden Horseshoe--Ontario's most densely-populated region that extends from Niagara to Oshawa--with a store in St. Catharines scheduled to open next year.

The nearly 25,000-sq.-ft. store will anchor The Fourth Avenue West Shopping Centre, along with tenants including Princess Auto, PenFincial, Sherwin Williams and KFC, according to Colliers International Niagara.

The Empire-owned chain announced last week it would open a location in Burlington later this year, strengthening its foothold in the Southern Ontario market.

Founded in 1981, Farm Boy made its name with a focus on high-quality produce, meat, bakery and prepared foods and private-label products in the Ottawa market. It began its push east in 2014 with stores in London, Kitchener, Brantford and Whitby.

READ: Farm Boy continues Toronto expansion with east end location

Farm Boy's first Toronto store opened at the western edge of the city in 2018, mere months before it was acquired by Empire in a deal valued at $800 million. At the time of the deal Empire executives said significant expansion for the chain would come fast, with an emphasis on the Toronto area.