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Sobeys parent Empire partners with CPG brand incubator

Partnership courts early-stage food and beverage vendors in Canada

Russell Redman

February 7, 2020

3 Min Read
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Through May 1, Sobeys will court food and beverage entrepreneurs in its third annual Local Supplier Road Show.Sobeys

Empire Company Ltd., parent of Sobeys Inc., has teamed up with consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand incubator District Ventures to support Canadian food entrepreneurs.

Under the partnership, announced this week, Empire becomes the title sponsor of Toronto-based District Ventures' Accelerator program and District Ventures Kitchen. Early-stage food and beverage brands participating in Accelerator will receive coaching from Empire’s local development managers, opportunities to bring their products to the grocery retailer’s store shelves within a region or across Canada, and other support.

A 20,000-square-foot commercial kitchen, District Ventures Kitchen, provides local food and beverage entrepreneurs access to equipment and programming to help build their businesses, including production spaces, packaging facilities and business advisory services. District Ventures said its Kitchen and facilities will sport the Sobeys logo.

“Empire has a rich history of meaningfully investing in local growers and suppliers across Canada," Jana Sobey, vice president of merchandising for Thrifty Foods, community and field at Sobeys, said in a statement. “Supporting local is at the heart of everything we do, and we are incredibly proud to stand side-by-side with District Ventures as we continue to nurture the countless innovative food entrepreneurs in communities large and small right across our country.”

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At its food and drug retail stores across Canada, Empire carries more than 5,000 local products. The Mississauga, Ontario-based company said it works with local food and beverage suppliers of all sizes, including those with the production capacity to supply just a few local stores. The Sobeys business unit sources local products via local development managers, who seek out and establish partnerships with local suppliers. The retailer has partnered with over 800 local suppliers since forming the local development manager team in 2018.

District Ventures describes the relationship with Sobeys as a “one of a kind partnership.” The alliance followed District Ventures’ acquisition of commercial kitchen Food Starter in late 2019 from the city of Toronto.

“This exciting new partnership is enormous for entrepreneurs and companies in the food, beverage and health industries,” commented Arlene Dickinson, CEO of District Ventures. "Since 2015, we have been committed to supporting early-stage companies in these spaces. Empire's sponsorship highlights the importance of this work and reinforces the fact that we need to support companies that both feed and nourish our communities and assist them in achieving their fullest potential."

Related:Why and how retailers are taking on the role of incubator

Through May 1, Sobeys will court food and beverage entrepreneurs in its third annual Local Supplier Road Show. The tour, visiting 10 towns and cities across Canada, offers a series of informative discussions on how local suppliers can partner with the retailer. Overall, Sobeys’ retail network includes more than 1,500 food and drugstores in all 10 provinces under banners such as Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, Farm Boy and Lawtons Drugs.

Incubator partnerships have become more common in the grocery arena as retailers look to cultivate exclusive food and beverage brands — as well as innovative technologies — that can distinguish them from competitors and bolster shopper loyalty. Companies that have teamed with or launched incubators over the past year include The Kroger Co., Albertsons Cos., Ahold Delhaize USA, The Fresh Market and KeHE Distributors, among others.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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