Sobeys news

Sobeys has launched a new look and feel for its core Sobeys supermarket format in the Legacy neighbourhood, located in south-east Calgary. We look inside this new store. Cleaner look, sharper lines This new store is the first from Sobeys to feature this updated look and feel. While several elements are retained from the original Sobeys concept, new signposting has been introduced for fresh ...

As Sobeys’ parent organisation, the Empire Company Limited, signs an agreement to purchase 51% of Longo’s, a leading food retailer in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), we look at what this means for the wider business. Potential to acquire the entire business With 36 locations in the GTA and Southwestern Ontario, along with a long-standing online business, Grocery Gateway, Longo’s has long be...

We review Sobeys’ third quarter performance, and the factors underlying its continued strong performance, including its focus on data and analytics and strategic investments into the discount, supermarket and ecommerce channels. Key numbers Q3: Total sales increased by 9.7% to $7.0bn Same-store sales increased 10.7% Ecommerce sales increased 315% Net earnings increased 46.3% to ...

Sobeys delivered a strong second quarter performance, including ecommerce sales growth of 241%. We look at the details behind its results and the plan to accelerate its strategic partnership with Ocado. Second quarter key numbers Total sales increased 8.4% to $7.0bn Same-store sales, ex-fuel, were up 8.7% Food retail net earnings increased 27.3% to $162.8m Ecommerce sales increa...

As part of a broader reinvention of its private label business, Sobeys is transitioning its premium-tier private label range to the new Panache brand. Transitioning from Sensations by Compliments The Panache brand started to appear in-stores last month as part of the retailer’s unique seasonal products range. Source: IGD Research In-store signage highlights the change from the Se...

We look at the’ first quarter performance of Canada's second largest food retailer as its Project Horizon growth plan gets underway. Q1 key numbers Sales up 9.0% to $7.4bn Same-store sales increased 11.0% Sales through its existing ecommerce operations in Quebec and BC increased approximately 370%. During the quarter it launched its Voilà by Sobeys service in the Greater Toronto Ar...

Sobeys is converting a further three existing stores to the Farm Boy format, underlining the strength of this format in high density areas. Doubling the network Sobeys acquired Farm Boy at the end of 2018, in a deal designed to help the retailer drive its penetration in urban locations. At the point of acquisition, Farm Boy operated 26 stores in Ontario, with the company announcing plans to...

Sobeys has launched a new three-year growth strategy, Project Horizon, following the recent completion of its turnaround plan, Project Sunrise. Central to the new strategy is the acceleration of its ecommerce initiatives. Our view: a big bet on ecommerce Much of what has been announced is a continuation of programmes which were underway, including the expansion of Farm Boy and FreshCo, or a...

We look at how retailers are adapting to the easing of lockdown restrictions in Canada, in-store and through their ecommerce platforms. Most provinces are making solid progress through the different phases of their re-start plans. We look at how retailers in BC are adapting, with the province recently moving into phase three of its four-phase re-start plan. Phased re-start plan As one of Ca...

Sobeys has launched its Voilà by Sobeys grocery ecommerce service in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Partnership with Ocado Sobeys has partnered with UK-based Ocado to launch this service. It has built a Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) adjacent to its existing automated distribution centre in Vaughan, Ontario, optimising Ocado’s solution. Robots are used to assemble orders, with Voilà asso...