Ayre & Sons, Ltd. was a
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...
chain in
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. The chain was formed in 1859 in
St. John's, Newfoundland by
Charles R. Ayre. Ayre opened his flagship store on
Water Street in St. John's in 1859. After Newfoundland joined the Canadian confederation in 1949, Ayre's opened some more stores across the province in the 1960s, with locations in
Mount Pearl
Mount Pearl is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The city is located southwest of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the isla ...
,
Carbonear,
Corner Brook
Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,316 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrado ...
, and
Wabush
Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, bordering Quebec, known for transportation and iron ore operations.
Economy
Wabush is the twin community of Labrador City. At its peak population in the late 1970s, the region had a populati ...
. A location in the
Avalon Mall
The Avalon Mall is a Canadian shopping mall located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador on Kenmount Road. With over , two floors, and 142 stores, it is the largest shopping mall in Newfoundland and Labrador. The mall opened on November 1, 19 ...
in St. John's also opened when the mall opened in 1967. However, the company began to encounter financial problems in the 1980s, and in 1991, Ayre and Sons filed for bankruptcy.
Ayre's Supermarkets
Ayre's also began to open supermarkets in the 1960s, under the name Ayre's Supermarkets. The chain was sold to
Dominion Stores Ltd. in 1963, with six locations in the St. John's area (five in St. John's plus one in Mount Pearl), as well as supermarkets in Carbonear and Corner Brook. As a result, Ayre's Supermarkets later adopted the Dominion brand. Following the sale of Dominion to
A&P Canada, the
Dominion
A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...
stores in Newfoundland and Labrador were resold to local owners in 1987 and subsequently merged with two smaller local chains. The newly amalgamated parent company was named Amalco Foods, but the combined chain's brand name remained "Dominion". The amalgamated chain was acquired by
Loblaw Companies Limited in 1995.
Locations
*
St. John's
**
Water Street - The original flagship store of Ayre and Sons, opened in 1859.
**
Avalon Mall
The Avalon Mall is a Canadian shopping mall located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador on Kenmount Road. With over , two floors, and 142 stores, it is the largest shopping mall in Newfoundland and Labrador. The mall opened on November 1, 19 ...
- Ayre's Department Store. Opened 1967. Converted to expansion of mall interior following a major renovation program in 1993, with
Scotiabank
The Bank of Nova Scotia (), operating as Scotiabank (), is a Canadian multinational corporation, multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada's Big Five (banks), Big Five banks, it is the ...
and across from that
Gap among its tenants. The space that occupied that then renovated in early 2018 once more to become
Charm Diamond Centres,
Claire's
Claire's (formerly known as Claire's Boutiques, Claire's Boutique and Claire's Accessories) is an American retailer of accessories, jewelry, and toys primarily aimed towards tween and teen
girls, and young women. It was founded in 1961 and i ...
(2019),
The Source The Source may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford
* ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation
* ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...
and
Jump Plus with
Scotiabank
The Bank of Nova Scotia (), operating as Scotiabank (), is a Canadian multinational corporation, multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada's Big Five (banks), Big Five banks, it is the ...
remaining.
**
Churchill Square - Ayre's Supermarket. Became a Dominion store until 2007, where Loblaw rebranded the store a
SaveEasy
SaveEasy (formerly ''Atlantic Save-Easy'') was a chain of small retail grocery store Chain store, franchises in the Atlantic Provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, owned by Loblaw Comp ...
.
**Summerville - Ayre's Supermarket. Located in a mini-mall on Elizabeth Avenue at Paton Street. The Dominion store was closed in 1994, and the plaza was demolished in 1998 to make way for a condominium complex.
**Parade Street - Ayre's Supermarket - became a Dominion store until December 21, 1992, when it was destroyed by a major fire, which also claimed several other buildings and businesses. The St. John's Central Fire Station now stands on the site.
**Hamilton Avenue - Ayre's Supermarket - became a Dominion store until 1995 - now closed
**Torbay Road Mall - Ayre's Supermarket - became a Dominion store until 1993, at which point it moved to a then-larger store on Newfoundland Drive (closed in 2007) - was
IGA IGA or IgA may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* IGA (supermarkets) (initially Independent Grocers Alliance), a name used by many independent supermarkets throughout the world
** IGA (Australian supermarket group), the local Australian v ...
from 1996 to 1999 - now
Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. (colloquially Shoppers; named Pharmaprix in Quebec) is a Canadian retail pharmacy chain based in Toronto, Ontario. It has more than 1,300 stores in ten provinces and two territories.
The company was founded by pharmacist ...
*
Mount Pearl
Mount Pearl is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The city is located southwest of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the isla ...
- Centennial Square (Commonwealth Avenue) - Ayre's Supermarket. The store later became a Dominion store until 1993. At that time, closed and was relocated to the Pearlgate Mall. The latter was branded as "Dominion Marketplace" until it was taken over by Loblaw. In 1997, Coleman's Supermarket (a local chain of supermarkets based in Corner Brook) opened in the former store; this is their first location in the St. John's area.
*
Carbonear
*
Corner Brook
Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,316 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrado ...
- Called Ayre's Supermarket, it operated in the Corner Brook Plaza. It became a Dominion store until 2002, when it moved to a larger store at the "big box" development at Murphy Square.
*
Wabush
Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, bordering Quebec, known for transportation and iron ore operations.
Economy
Wabush is the twin community of Labrador City. At its peak population in the late 1970s, the region had a populati ...
{{Canadian Supermarkets
Companies based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Defunct retail companies of Canada
Defunct supermarkets of Canada
Defunct companies of Newfoundland and Labrador
Retail companies established in 1859
Retail companies disestablished in 1991
1859 establishments in North America
1859 establishments in the British Empire
19th-century establishments in Newfoundland
1991 disestablishments in Newfoundland and Labrador