The old Safeway building in Mission will become a FreshCo and should open this spring.
The announcement was made earlier this week in a Sobeys press release.
FreshCo is a Sobeys Inc. brand discount grocery store that has 95 locations, all of them in Ontario.
“Customers love it in Ontario,” director of external communications Jacquelin Weatherbee told Black Press. “We’ve repeatedly been told that customers were looking for a strong discount shopping experience.”
According to the Sobeys press release “FreshCo stores reflect our customers’ growing demand for fresh, quality food at discount prices. FreshCo stores will feature a bold brand and clear tagline: ‘Lowering food prices.'”
The Mission Safeway closed on July 5, 2018 and renovations have been going on at the location for some time. An exact opening date is not yet known.
Ir was also announced that several other Safeway locations in B.C. will be closing and renovated into FreshCo locations.
On May 25, the Safeway stores on Yale Road in Chilliwack, Fraser Highway in Aldergrove and Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge will close, affecting 115, 123 and 129 employees respectively.
On July 23 the Delta Safeway on 48 Avenue will close affecting 97 employees, and on Sept. 7 the Abbotsford store on South Fraser Way will close affecting 146 employees.
Once the stores close, the renovation will take four to five months after which they will reopen as FreshCo.
As many as 610 employees may have already received termination notices the same day as the company announced the changes.
“It is with regret that we inform you a number of Safeway stores in British Columbia will be closing and ceasing operations on the dates listed below,” the letter reads. “Unfortunately the store at which you are employed is one of the stores which will be closing.”
– With files from Paul Henderson
