Loblaw goes mini with its No Frills store

Loblaw opened a smaller version of its No Frills discount store in Toronto on Friday.

The location has a footprint of under 15,000 square feet, which is less than half of the size of a traditional No Frills store, and will offer new products including hot food, rotisserie chicken, and fresh bakery.

The No Frills in Toronto replaces a City Market, another Loblaw brand that closed about a month ago.

Loblaw plans to open the smaller No Frills locations through Thanksgiving.

Loblaw said the smaller format gives the company flexibility when determining new store locations.

“We can now open stores where Canadians need them most,” said Melanie Singh, president of Hard Discount, Loblaw Companies, in the company’s press release. “We design each location with a full grocery shop in mind, according to the customers who shop there.”

Indeed, the demographics of the neighborhood will determine what the mini-markets offer. For example, the Toronto Star reports that the new location in Toronto on the corner of King and Shaw streets has grab-and-go offerings like pastries, which are not a staple at No Frills stores. The rotisserie chicken was also a popular item at the City Market location, which is why the new No Frills will offer it.

Smaller stores will also carry less variety, and aisles will be shorter and narrower, with taller produce shelves.

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