SuperValu is a chain of franchised and associated grocery stores in Canada that currently operates in the province of

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, ...

and

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Background

Founded in British Columbia in 1951 by

Loblaw Companies Limited Loblaw Companies Limited is a Canadian retailer encompassing corporate and franchise supermarkets operating under 22 regional and market-segment banners (including Loblaws), as well as pharmacies, banking and apparel. Loblaw operates a private ...

as a chain of independently-owned supermarkets supplied by Loblaws' wholesale subsidiary, Kelly Douglas & Company. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, many SuperValu stores were created from former

Loblaws Loblaws Inc. is a Canadian supermarket chain with stores located in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, Loblaws is a subsidiary of Loblaw Companies Limited, C ...

corporate stores as the banner expanded across western Canada.

(through its Westfair Foods division) still supplies SuperValu stores and owns the SuperValu name. In the mid-1970s, a larger version of SuperValu was created - dubbed the

Real Canadian Superstore Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of supermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. Its name is often shortened to Superstore, or, less commonly, RCSS. Originating in Western Canada in the late 1970s/early 1980s, the ...

, these warehouse-sized grocery stores were closer to

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

s in scope. Today, only a handful of smaller SuperValu stores remain, all in British Columbia. Most others have either been rebranded to other Loblaw banners, such as Extra Foods,

Your Independent Grocer Your Independent Grocer (YIG), known colloquially as "Independent" or "Yours" is a supermarket chain in Canada with more than 100 locations. It has stores in every province and territory except Manitoba, Nunavut, and Quebec. It is a unit of Nati ...

or expanded into

outlets (or the related

Real Canadian Wholesale Club Loblaw Companies Limited is a Canadian retailer encompassing corporate and franchise supermarkets operating under 22 regional and market-segment banners (including Loblaws), as well as pharmacies, banking and apparel. Loblaw operates a private ...

). Atlantic SuperValu stores have since been replaced by the larger

Atlantic Superstore Atlantic Superstore is a Canadian supermarket chain. The chain operates 54 stores in the Maritimes of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. It is owned by George Weston Limited through Loblaw Companies Limited, and operates unde ...

External links

Site for SuperValu outlet in VancouverSite for SuperValu outlet in Gibsons, BCSuperValu radio jingle from the mid-1960s (MP3)
Loblaw Companies Supermarkets of Canada {{Canada-company-stub Food and drink companies based in British Columbia Food and drink companies based in Alberta

Background

See also

External links