Commentary
This may come as a surprise to some Canadians, but our country doesn’t really have a real discount grocery chain. With higher food prices and a growing number of consumers seeking refuge from record-setting food inflation at the grocery store, real discount grocery stores would come in very handy. But the option is simply not there.
Rebates have grown scarce in recent years as No Frills and other value grocers such as Empire’s FreshCo and Metro’s Food Basics took a noticeable step back from their ongoing fight with Walmart. Quebec is in even worse shape: shoppers can find Metro’s Super C or Maxi, owned and operated by Loblaw. Sobeys doesn’t even operate a discount chain in Quebec. All banners and stores are connected to just a handful of grocers controlling the Canadian market….