Overwaitea Foods was a regional chain of supermarkets located in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. On March 8, 1915, Robert C. Kidd purchased a store at 746 Columbia Street in

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capi ...

. He developed several innovative merchandising techniques to attract customers, including odd-penny pricing and selling 18 ounces of tea for the price of a pound. The store was soon known as the "over-weight tea" store. When Kidd opened his second store, he called it "Overwaitea". In 1968,

Jim Pattison James Allen Pattison (born October 1, 1928) is a Canadian business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he holds the position of chief executive officer, chairman and sole owner of the Jim Pa ...

purchased Overwaitea. As of January 2007, the chain operated 15 outlets throughout the province, primarily in the smaller towns of British Columbia, while a number of stores formerly operated under the Overwaitea brand have since been converted to that of its sister chain,

Save-On-Foods Save-On-Foods is a chain of supermarkets located across Western Canada, owned by the Pattison Food Group. Stores carry both standard brands and private label brands, such as Western Family. Many stores have a pharmacy, and some locations prov ...

. Their parent company, the

Overwaitea Food Group The Overwaitea Food Group is an operator of supermarkets, based in Langley, British Columbia. It is owned by the Jim Pattison Group. Most stores are under the Save-On-Foods banner, which it launched in 1982. On March 8, 1915, Robert C. Kidd pu ...

, also owns

Urban Fare Urban Fare is a supermarket chain located in British Columbia. It is a subsidiary of the Overwaitea Food Group, which, in turn, is owned by the Vancouver-based Jim Pattison Group. The chain has six locations, four located in downtown Vancouver ...

PriceSmart Foods PriceSmart Foods is a chain of supermarkets located in British Columbia, Canada. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Overwaitea Food Group, which is owned by the Jim Pattison Group. PriceSmart shares the same brands and rewards card system ...

and Cooper's Foods. All are owned by the Jim Pattison Group. On March 22, 2018, the remaining two Overwaitea locations in British Columbia were closed, reopening the following day as Save-On-Foods stores.

References

Supermarkets of Canada Jim Pattison Group Retail companies established in 1915 Retail companies disestablished in 2018 1915 establishments in British Columbia 2018 disestablishments in British Columbia Canadian companies established in 1915 Canadian companies disestablished in 2018 {{canada-company-stub Food and drink companies based in British Columbia

See also

References