Hundreds lined up outside Thrifty Foods in Langford for its grand opening Thursday.
Around 9 a.m., a ribbon cutting ceremony helped welcome the grocery chain’s 26th location, located in the Belmont Market, at 3011 Merchant Way. This marks the first Thrifty’s to open in the Capital Regional District since 2007.
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In attendance were Langford Mayor Stew Young, Thrifty’s management and staff and Sooke School District 62 vice chair Dianna Seaton. Some Royal Bay Secondary students treated the early shoppers with music performed by a live band.
Seaton thanked the Thrifty’s team in her remarks for a donation of gift certificates to Hans Helgesen Elementary’s breakfast program worth $4,000.
Young thanked Thrifty Foods for the speediness of the development and for bringing the “iconic” grocery chain to Langford and accommodating its growing population of families.
“You know in Langford we like to do things quick, fast and big, and give these guys a round of applause for what they’ve been able to do in the last year.”
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The grocery store will also have a full pharmacy, in addition to having a dedicated florist, baker, butcher, and deli person running their departments.
The Thrifty Foods brand was founded in 1977 in Victoria. Langford residents previously had to drive to Colwood for the closest store which opened in the the late 1980s. The new location will serve as the main grocery provider in the Belmont Market, a $93-million development that’s well underway, which will become a hub of restaurants, housing units and retail companies.
swikar.oli@goldstreamgazette.com
