State of the big chain grocery stores

[Mustapha]

Docklands T&T walkthrough. July 6, 2008.

The T&T market is still a bit of a ‘secret’, I think, for most Toronto shoppers. It’s seen as an ‘Asian’ market; and indeed it is, but in my opinion, it is more than that – it’s a good general supermarket too that caters well to 'Canadian' requirements; however you might define that. In particular the docklands location is a food shopping experience that delights my visual senses.

The fireboat is the first thing we pass as we walk through the parking lot – there is a convenient gate for the firemen/boat crew to come shop here. At the end of my trip today the little ship was gone and the gate was shut and locked.

View as we enter.

The dimsum counter. On the right, the eating area. This area is kept scrupulously clean by a dedicated one man cleaning staff who hovered and fussed over his small territory this Sunday and kept everything pin neat. The big windows look out onto Lafarge cement works and a marine crane. In wintertime, this area can be relaxing – with a storm outside and the sing-song of the dimsum ladies mandarin banter. On this summer day it was no less pleasing to the eye, with attractive people at ease; many who had ridden in by bicycle.

This, unfortunately for my neck and midsection, is my favorite part of the T&T.

This is the ‘Hot’ takeout section.

Remember, they are from the same phylum as spiders.

This dish is found in the ‘Cold’ takeout section. This is an especially yummy dish for you vegans out there. I enjoy it as I’m cutting down on my meat intake. You see carrots, mushrooms and soy based simulated meat in there.

The dishes on the top shelf … you steam these in a covered wide pan for about 10 minutes – [don’t let the water boil away accidently!]. These are considered 'all-in', 'one-dish, one-course', ‘peasant style’ Chinese dishes. Our family ate these out of necessity in the 50s, so I will pass, but they are tasty.

Bakery.

These are sublime. Buy one for a special occasion. Your friends will rave. Beats your standard fruit flan.

Yummy.

Well, this is an Asian market.

You can buy regular staples here too.

Dunk these in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain. Stirfry with a little oil - 'scorch' 'em a little if you like, wok style. Add warm sliced cooked chicken. Stir in altogether with ‘oyster’ sauce to taste. A cheap, easy and exotic meal for 2. Or perhaps not. Do let me know.

This place is VAST. Hard to believe this place was once a 'Knob Hills Farms'. NOT a pleasant experience; that chain of stores.

Fish and meat.

The exotic (sugar cane) snuggled against the Canadian dinner ‘greens’ standard.

$5.99 for a plant that will last for years. How cool is that?

Recipe in 2 pictures:

Patio.

If anyone cares to meetup over a bubble tea here one of these days please PM me.

Mind the grease, please. These little snacks are tasty for the same reason Harvey's burgers are: the fat to lean content must be just about 50/50/

-Mustapha, but my friends call me Moose.

 

[Edward Skira]

Are the birds that used to fly into the store in the Knob Hill Farm days still there?

 

[Mustapha]

I believe they are caught and used in some of the in-store recipes.

 

[ShonTron]

Nice post. I wish I had a T&T nearby, I loved their selections, and the samples let you try all sorts of neat things you wouldn't otherwise think of.

The bus service to the Docklands location isn't very good unfortunately. Weekdays, the 72A sort of works, and the 172 (which is supposed to fill in when the 72A isn't running to serve the Distillery area and Cherry Beach) just has too sporadic a schedule.

 

[299 bloor call control.]

Grocery chains develop a taste for urban livingJul 08, 2008 04:30 AM
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/columnists/94609Christopher Hume
There was a time, not so long ago, when it seemed the grocery chains had forgotten that city dwellers also eat.
No longer: across Toronto, supermarkets are popping up now as never before.
Though some food sellers have had difficulty understanding the urban market, others clearly have it all figured out. The rules might seem obvious, but they elude some of the major players. Stuck in the 1950s and ´60s, they're still out searching for large sites with room for hundreds of parking spots. Not surprisingly, there aren't a whole lot of these left in the city, or the suburbs for that matter, but many corporations are deeply conservative and glacial in their response to change.
So while some chains appear to have less presence in Toronto these days, others are suddenly everywhere. Consider the case of Sobeys, which opened its most recent outlet on Balliol St. in North Toronto. Situated in an old strip mall, it is smaller than most grocery stores, and has fewer than 10 parking spaces in front.
In its three-week existence, it has already become part of the neighbourhood. Rather than cater to customers who show up Saturday mornings and fill several carts, this is a store for locals who shop on their way home several times weekly.
Balliol is a street lined with highrise apartments, which means there are enough people who live locally to make the shop viable.
By contrast, the Loblaws at Jarvis St. and Queens Quay, with its enormous parking structure, attracts shoppers from all over the city. It's located close to the Gardiner (that could change if Waterfront Toronto gets its way and manages to have the raised expressway torn down east of Jarvis), and is in an area that doesn't yet qualify as a residential neighbourhood.
Farther west, at Queens Quay and York St., Sobeys installed a supermarket in Queen's Quay Terminal that finally succeeded in bringing life to a complex that was previously geared toward a summertime/ tourist market. In the meantime, the area had become home to thousands of people living in the condo towers that line the street.
Sobeys has also opened a store on Front St. E. near Sherbourne St., a part of town that until very recently food chains would have avoided like the plague.
According to real estate analyst Barry Lyon, the grocery store, with daycare and dog walking area, is an urban essential. When it arrives, he says, so has the neighbourhood.
Certainly, officials with Toronto Community Housing were thrilled when Sobeys signed up to be part of the rebuilt Regent Park. Originally, there were virtually no retail outlets within the boundaries of the housing complex. In its own Utopian way, the attitude toward shopping embodied in old Regent Park set the stage for subsequent suburban growth. But the idea that stores should be kept out of neighbourhoods makes only limited sense, especially at a time when we are under pressure to use the city more intensely, to take advantage of its every opportunity.
Until recently, it seemed the only places to buy groceries downtown were those 24-hour food stores best known for their exorbitant prices. Their day may be coming to an end.
The return of the grocery store is a strong sign of Toronto's good health. Of course there's nothing new about the idea, but cities are only now emerging from their time in the wilderness, a period when they were thought to be the problem. Now we know cities are the solution, and a good place to go shopping for groceries.


Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca.

 

[interchange42]

Loblaw Launches First Environmental Flagship Superstore in Ontario


Green Innovation Introduces Eco-Friendly Shopping and Prototype for the
Future; Organization Recognized by Ontario's Chief Energy Conservation
Officer for Efforts in Energy Management and Conservation

TORONTO, July 8 /CNW/ - As one of the North American grocery leaders in
energy management and alternate refrigeration approaches, Loblaw continues to
lead the way in reducing its carbon footprint with the new Scarborough Loblaw
Superstore launch - its first environmental flagship store in Ontario. This
store is a continuation of Loblaw's long-term commitment towards
environmentally responsible green retailing.
At 120,000 sq. ft., the Scarborough Loblaw Superstore will soon be the
largest food retail store to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design Green Building Rating System)-certified in Canada - and a prototype for
future Loblaw Companies Limited stores across Canada.
"We are excited about the innovative approaches that we have successfully
implemented in this store," said Mark Schembri, V.P. Loblaw Companies Limited.
"Undertaking the LEED accreditation process for the store has resulted in many
new, environmentally-friendly design approaches that we will also incorporate
in future stores."
To remove the heat from chilled and frozen display fixtures, traditional
grocery stores utilize a significant amount of refrigerant gas. When these
refrigerants leak they cause greenhouse gas emissions. The Scarborough
Superstore, through alternate design approaches, has reduced this refrigerant
charge by 85%. The store is the first low temperature secondary CO2 system in
Canada and the largest in North America. This will cause an estimated
reduction to the store's carbon footprint of 15%.
To reduce the energy associated with store heating, the retail sales area
of the store will be entirely heated in the winter with recycled heat that is
rejected from the refrigeration system. This will result in further reducing
the store's carbon footprint by 7%.
"Residents around Scarborough will now enjoy shopping at a local Loblaw's
store that is truly unique, the first-of-its-kind, energy-efficient and great
for the environment," said the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural
Resources. "Our Government is proud to have partnered with Loblaws, and to
have provided expertise for this new refrigeration technology. This new
technology will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly compared
to conventional stores."
"Loblaw is changing the face of Canadian grocery retail with their
Scarborough Superstore," said Peter Love, Ontario's Chief Energy Conservation
Officer, who today presented the organization with a Certificate of
Recognition for the company's efforts in energy management and conservation.
"I hope the energy efficiency initiatives incorporated in the heating, cooling
and lighting systems will inspire other retailers to make similar changes.
This will reduce the amount of wasted energy, limit our collective greenhouse
gas production and ultimately grow businesses' bottom line."
At the Scarborough Superstore, consumers will enjoy the benefits of a
wide choice of recyclable bag offerings from cloth to bin, secure bicycle
racks and alternative accessibility through public transit - in addition to
Loblaw's superior range of grocery items from fresh to frozen, including house
brand President's Choice (for Green, Organics and Blue Menu lines), a new
extended selection of ethnic food offerings and the latest looks from Joe
Fresh Style.

Quote - Natural Resources Canada

<<
Other eco-friendly items incorporated in the store include;
- Motion-activated LED lighting in Freezer cases to cut energy usage
by an estimated 50% - The lights will activate when the customer
enters the aisle.
- Electricity demand response system that reduces the stores
electricity consumption based on the demand on the provincial grid -
When the provincial demand for electricity peaks, Loblaw will
automatically reduce its energy consumption.
- Multiple waste diversion streams to meet Loblaw's 70% waste diverted
from landfill target - One diversion involves collecting grease from
cooking chickens in the stores and converting it to bio-diesel to
fuel trucks.
>>

About LEED Certification

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating
System encourages global adoption of sustainable green building and
development practices through the creation and implementation of universally
understood and accredited criteria. LEED is a third-party certification
program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and
operation of high performance green buildings.

About Loblaw Companies Limited

Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's largest food distributor and a
leading provider of general merchandise, drugstore and financial products and
services. Through its various operating banners, Loblaw is committed to
providing Canadians with a one-stop destination in meeting their food and
everyday household needs. This goal is pursued through a portfolio of store
formats across the country. It also offers one of Canada's strongest control
label programs, including the unique President's Choice(R) and no name(R)
brands. Loblaw is one of the largest private-sector employers in Canada,
employing over 139,000 full-time and part-time employees.

About Project Partners

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) champions innovation and expertise in
earth sciences, forestry, energy and minerals and metals to ensure the
responsible and sustainable development of our nation's natural resources. By
developing policies and programs, NRCan strives to enhance the contribution of
the natural resources sector to the economy and improve the quality of life
for all Canadians. NRCan's CANMET Energy Technology Centre is the Canadian
leader in clean energy research and technology development, working with the
energy industry, academia and environmental stakeholders to develop, test,
demonstrate and deploy clean energy technologies.

 

[Mustapha]

Loblaw Launches First Environmental Flagship Superstore in Ontario
.

This is all good stuff. Annoying to see the old fashioned open to the air freezer cases.

 

[alklay]

I wonder why there is no windmill (or two) on the roof. And why is the roof not green (or is it)?

 

[jbcurio]

The Dominion at Bayview and Eglinton is receiving a makeover - a temporary entrance has been built at the north end of the store, while the red trim is being stripped away and welders were dismantling the white arches over the (closed) main entrance yesterday. Something buried deep in my brain says that I once read that this location was Conrad Black's pride and joy when he owned Dominion...

 

[Edward Skira]

The Dominion at Bayview and York Mills was said to have the best meat in the city in the days EP Taylor owned the chain. His estate was just south on Bayview.

 

[JasonParis]

Back when it was "...mainly beacause of the meat!"

 

[adma]

Ah, that old jingle. Part of the "Toronto Subway Song" school of 50sness recalling when men wore hats and women wore dresses.

In hearing old radio airchecks, it's interesting to note how as late as the mid-70s, the "meat section" held such commercial-spot pride of place in grocery outlets; I guess that's when happy homemakers in search for the perfect pot roast from Rockenspeel's still held sway, as yet un-displaced by working couples experimenting with the latest "Memories Of" concoctions...

 

[Urban Shocker]

The era of the Ponderosa chain, and their horrible, over-tenderized little steaks.

 

[Mustapha]

The era of the Ponderosa chain, and their horrible, over-tenderized little steaks.

'Steak n' Burger' wasnt bad. It was a treat for us.

 

[interchange42]

My Mother always called The Ponderosa 'The Feeding Trough'. Wasn't much of a fan of it. Last time I was in one was a couple of summers ago in Erie PA with CDL.TO, Gangavih, and ShonTron. We were 'celebrating' Americana and the Geography of Nowhere that night. Regrettable dining really, but I did get a favourite photo at that mall:

42