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TORONTO – October 24, 2018 – The 56th Annual Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Awards Ceremony was presented tonight in Toronto, in front of a gala audience of over 500 leading grocers, suppliers, and distributors at Grocery Innovations Canada 2018, Canada’s premier grocery conference and trade show.
Each year, the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) Awards Program recognizes the success of outstanding independent retailers and offers insights into innovations that are changing and enhancing the way retailers compete.
The 2018 NATIONAL Winners of the Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Awards are:
Large Surface
Gold: Tim Styba and Team Save-On-Foods – Northgate, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Silver: Glenn Macnab and Staff Longo’s – Leaside, Toronto, Ontario
Bronze: Robb Epp and Team Save-On Foods – Pemberton Plaza, North Vancouver, British Columbia
Regional: Brad Brewer and Staff Colemans At The Gardens, Corner Brook, Newfoundland & Labrador
Medium Surface
Gold: Vince Piligra and Staff Longo’s – York Mills, Toronto, Ontario
Silver: Buy-Low Foods Osoyoos Team Buy-Low Foods, Osoyoos, British Columbia
Bronze: Buy-Low Foods Athabasca Team Buy-Low Foods, Athabasca, Alberta
Regional: Daniel Plouffe et Patrick Plouffe Métro Plouffe de Farnham, Farnham, Québec
Small Surface
Gold: Colby and Annette Woodhead, Doug Nakano and James Inglis Blind Bay Village Grocer, Blind Bay, British Columbia
Silver: Ross and Carol Bletsoe, Ian and Sarah Bletsoe Lakefield Foodland, Lakefield, Ontario
Bronze: Don Boos and Staff Freson Bros. Hanna, Alberta
Regional: Cathy Graves and Chad Graves Graves Freshmart, Bridgetown, Nova Scotia
DAVID C. PARSONS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IN SPECIALTY FOOD RETAILING (GOLD):
Galleria Supermarket – Thornhill, Toronto, Ontario
Silver: Choices Markets White Rock Team Choices Markets White Rock, South Surrey, British Columbia
Bronze: Angela Masellis and Staff The Market by Longo’s – Imperial Plaza, Toronto, Ontario
ARNOLD RANDS HERITAGE AWARD
David Askew and Family of Askew’s Foods, Salmon Arm, Armstrong and Sicamous of British Columbia
The award is given to the year’s best multi-generational store that is privately owned, and that has been in the same family for at least two generations, in the same community for 35 years.
CFIG is proud to announce the following grocers’ entry into the HALL OF FAME (IGYA):
Jeffrey Min and Jaeho Park of Galleria Supermarket, Thornhill, Ontario
Eric Wood and Staff of Longo’s – Burloak, Oakville, Ontario
To be eligible for IGYA Hall of Fame induction, a store must win at least three Gold Awards or receive one Platinum Achievement Award and one Gold Award.
CFIG is proud to announce the following grocers’ entry into the HALL OF FAME (MASTER MERCHANDISER):
Carl and Nathalie Dessureault and Rene Larocque – Dessureault Your Independent Grocer, Ottawa, Ontario
Darcy Ginter and The Store Team – Quality Foods, Parksville, British Columbia
Jim and Vicki Bexis, Peter and Agusta Vacirtzoglou and Staff – Sun Valley Supermarket, Toronto, Ontario
To be eligible for Master Merchandiser Hall of Fame induction, a store must win at least three Gold Awards.
Platinum Achievement (10 years)
Neil and Connie O’Reilly & Gerard O’Malley Barry’s Bay METRO, Barry’s Bay, Ontario
Shelley Keim and Staff Freson Bros. Manning, Alberta
Ryan Durnie and Staff Freson Bros., Valleyview, Alberta
Jeffrey Min and Jaeho Park Galleria Supermarket, Thornhill, Ontario
Joe Bruzzese and Staff Longo’s – Boxgrove, Markham, Ontario
Eric Wood and Staff Longo’s – Burloak, Oakville, Ontario
Mike Van Giesen and Phil Greenhalgh and Staff
Tru Value Foods – Mayne Island, British Columbia
Special Award – Ryan McIlwain – Lakefield Foodland
During the awards, a special award was given to 16-year-old Ryan McIlwain of Lakefield Foodland for rescuing a drowning man this summer. He was presented with a cheque from the Associate Members’ Council for his heroism.
About the Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Awards
The Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year is the most prestigious award CFIG can bestow. Each year, independent grocery stores from coast-to-coast in Canada compete for the coveted title in each of the specialty, large, medium and small surface categories. Each of the competing stores is visited personally by a highly respected retail management expert, who evaluates competing stores based on retailing excellence and innovation, store team performance, customer service, space utilization, freshness and cleanliness. The gala awards evening takes place annually at Grocery Innovations Canada, the premier grocery event in the country.
Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter |Instagram| #GICShow18
Full list of winners and photos from the event available upon request.
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For more information, please contact:
Nancy Kwon | Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers | T: 416.219.0952|nkwon@cfig.ca
