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Longo’s set to open new meals-focused store format

Pronto Eats caters to on-the-go consumers in compact urban space

Russell Redman

August 21, 2019

3 Min Read
Longos_Pronto Eats_Hudsons Bay Centre.jpg
Longo Brothers Fruit Market

Canadian grocer Longo Brothers Fruit Market next week plans to debut a store format focusing on meals and snacks.

Called Pronto Eats, the 1,000-square-foot, convenience-based grocery store is set to open Aug. 26 inside the Hudson’s Bay Centre shopping mall and office development in downtown Toronto. Longo’s said the outlet will carry a wide variety of ready-to-eat and semi-prepared meal and snack options, along with a specialized Longo’s Café service.

Longo’s said Pronto Eats caters to busy workers and commuters by offering a range of choices for each of the 35 meal and snacking occasions per week. The store also will offer delivery and free pickup through the retailer’s Grocery Gateway online service.

Located at Yonge and Bloor Streets, Pronto Eats is in the heart of Toronto’s PATH underground pedestrian complex, which has 30 kilometers of shopping and entertainment and connects more than 50 buildings and office towers, Longo’s noted.

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“For those who work inside or nearby, the PATH is a place where time, quality and convenience intersect, and this is at the core of what Pronto Eats plans to deliver,” Rosanne Longo, consumer spokesperson and brand ambassador at Longo’s, said in a statement.

In addition, Pronto Eats will mark Longo’s first cashless store, allowing customers to skip the checkout line by paying for their items via the Ritual food app on their smartphones.

Related:Longo’s pilots build-your-own meals

“While the size of the store is a smaller scale than what our guests are used to, the fundamentals of the business remain unchanged. No matter the concept, location or size of the store, we are committed to carrying only the highest quality of food and merchandise, matched with excellent guest service,” Longo added.

For the Pronto Eats grand opening event, the first 250 customers will receive a Longo’s Mystery Card in values of $5 to $500 for use toward their purchase at the new store.

Pronto Eats was piloted earlier this summer at Longo’s Maple Leaf Square store, emerging from the retailer’s Meals Made Easy concept.

In the Meals Made Easy program, a centrally located kiosk merchandises the fresh ingredients needed for a meal. Shoppers hand-select their produce, meats, starches and garnishes to create a specific meal or follow a certain recipe. Recipes and step-by-step cooking guides are available at the kiosk and online.

“Our pilot test was designed to evaluate approachability and the depth of demand for this style of convenience,” Longo explained. “The response from our guests was overwhelmingly positive, and we are thrilled to now bring this concept to life in an ideal location for our demographic and brand.”

Related:Longo’s debuts net-zero energy store

Plans call for Longo’s to expand the meals concept to all of its 34 stores in Ontario by next spring.

Vaughan, Ontario-based Longo’s said it also aims to open new stores in East Gwillimbury and in Toronto’s Liberty Village section in the coming months. Most recently, the retailer opened a 40,000-square-foot store at Yonge Sheppard Centre in North York, Ontario. The location features a Living Well section focused on health-related products, an in-house dietitian, a fresh juice bar, a Starbucks coffee shop, and Longo’s trademark Loft Cooking School and Corks Beer and Wine Bar, which also is offered at the chain’s Maple Leaf Square and Leaside stores.

“Each of our upcoming stores involved us turning our attention to consumer demands and investing money where it really matters most to our guests,” Longo said.

*Editor's Note: Article updated with new store photos.

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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