Sobeys Extra comes to New Brunswick

Company is also converting its Sobeys store in Grand Bank into a Foodland
8/26/2016

Sobeys has opened its first Sobeys Extra store in New Brunswick after opening its first Extra banner store in the Atlantic provinces last fall in Nova Scotia.

The newly-built East Point location in Saint John replaces a Sobeys store in McAllister Mall. It comes on the heels of last November’s opening of the first Sobeys Extra store in Tantallon, an upscale Halifax suburb.

Overall, “customer response has been great,” to the first store, says Shauna Selig, Sobeys’ manager of communications for Atlantic Canada. Support has come in particular for the fresh offer, expanded produce selection and the bakery, deli, meat and seafood departments, she says.

Sobeys’ Kitchen, which offers a large selection of fresh ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat prepared meals has also been a hit, Selig says. “Typically when people walk in to a Sobeys Extra for the first time and walk through these fresh zones, their reaction is ‘wow.’”

The Atlantic Canada stores are modelled after the Sobeys Extra stores that have opened in Central and Western Canada in recent years.

Two additional Sobeys Extra stores are planned in Atlantic Canada: Clayton Park in Halifax which is slated to open in late 2016 or early 2017 and Stratford, PEI which will open in 2017.

READ: Sobeys Extra banner stretches to Atlantic Canada

“Sobeys Extra makes grocery shopping an experience,” says Selig. Customers who walk in to a Sobeys Extra appreciate being greeted with “colourful produce, innovative meal solutions right at their fingertips, the incredible selection in the bakery that is unlike anything else you’d see at our other banners.”

“The Sobeys Extra differentiator is our team of in-store experts,” said Paul Barber, store manager of the Saint John store, in a statement. Each department is staffed by experts in their field including a Red Seal-certified chef, wellbeing counselor, registered dietitian and a trained cheese expert.

Sobeys is also converting its Sobeys store in Grand Bank, N.L. into a Foodland that will open Sept. 1.

“The store was in need of a refresh and it was determined that the Foodland format would be a better fit,” says Selig. “Foodland programs require a smaller footprint than Sobeys and this store fit the bill as its square footage is more comparable to a Foodland store than a Sobeys.” In addition, the Foodland assortment better matches the market and customer behaviour in rural areas, she says.

READ: Sobeys unveils its latest store, with food discovery and more

Selig says customers will see an expanded fresh offer in meat, bakery and deli as well an increased assortment of gluten-free and natural source products. Future plans are to expand the fresh area and add Natural Source wellness products.

The store’s in-store pharmacy will remain and it will continue to offer the Air Miles loyalty program and Compliments products, she says.

Selig told The Telegram in St. John’s that plans call for the store to transition from a corporate to a franchise store in the coming months. “The timing of that change will be based on the confirmation of the franchisee and time required to set up his/her business,” she told the newspaper in an email.

The store will be the 28th Foodland in Newfoundland.

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