Overwaitea Foods was a regional chain of

supermarkets A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...

located in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, 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 cap ...

. 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 and investor. He is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he holds the position of chief executive officer, chairman and sole owner of the Jim Pattison Group, Can ...

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 and Only Goodness. Many stores have a pharmacy, and ...

. Their parent company, the Overwaitea Food Group, 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 five locations, three located in downtown Vancouver, ...

, PriceSmart Foods and Cooper's Foods. All are owned by the

Jim Pattison Group The Jim Pattison Group is a Canadian conglomerate based in Vancouver. Jim Pattison, a Vancouver-based entrepreneur, is the chairman, CEO, and sole owner of the company. The Jim Pattison Group, Canada's second largest privately held company, h ...

. 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 Food and drink companies based in British Columbia {{supermarket-stub

See also

References