Last month a large, 24 hour Foodland (part of the Sobeys chain) opened in Ayr at the new Ayr Commons. It has a large LCBO and Beer Store inside the store.
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Ayr Commons will also have a Tim Hortons plus one other stand alone business. Construction has already started.
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I'm surprised it took this long for Ayr to get a Tim Hortons and a grocery store for that matter. For a town of it's size and proximity to the 401/97 Cedar Creek industrial area, it will do well.
(04-19-2015, 12:26 PM)The85 Wrote: [ -> ]I'm surprised it took this long for Ayr to get a Tim Hortons and a grocery store for that matter. For a town of it's size and proximity to the 401/97 Cedar Creek industrial area, it will do well.
Actually, Ayr had a Foodland (with Beer Store and LCBO) on Gibson Street but a larger store was needed to meet demand. Tim Hortons will be new. And they will do well. Yesterday the place was packed.
Was the Foodland originally a Knechtel? I remember seeing that once when I was a kid.
(04-19-2015, 02:11 PM)DHLawrence Wrote: [ -> ]Was the Foodland originally a Knechtel? I remember seeing that once when I was a kid.
That was before I lived in this area. But if there was a Knechtel it wouldn't have been hidden on Gibson St. It would have been in one of the old building on Northumberland or Stanley Street.
By the way, I found this in Wikipedia under Sobeys:
Quote:Link
Former grocery banners
- Commisso's Food Markets in Ontario were rebranded as Sobeys and Price Chopper.
- Food City from the Oshawa Group in Ontario were mainly rebranded as Price Chopper.
- Garden Market IGA stores in Western Canada were rebranded as Sobeys.
- Dutch Boy, a chain in the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario, was rebranded as Sobeys.
- Knechtel, a small-market grocery store chain under Oshawa Group, was rebranded as Foodland.
- Lofood, a small discount grocery store, was rebranded as Price Chopper.
- Calbeck's, an independent chain acquired in 1990, was rebranded as Sobeys, Price Chopper and Foodland
(04-19-2015, 02:11 PM)DHLawrence Wrote: [ -> ]Was the Foodland originally a Knechtel? I remember seeing that once when I was a kid.
Very likely. The Knechtel name continues, at least in Lion's Head as
Foodland - Hellyer's Knechtel Food Market.
(I still occasionally stock up on groceries there when staying on that part of the Bruce Peninsula. It's as close as you can get to a Central Meat Market in that part of the world.)
P.S. There's also
Knechtels is now independent in Lucknow. At least the owners have a valid claim to the name.
(04-19-2015, 02:11 PM)DHLawrence Wrote: [ -> ]Was the Foodland originally a Knechtel? I remember seeing that once when I was a kid.
It was indeed a Knechtels during the 90's.
Tim Hortons at the Ayr Commons, on Northumberland Street, is almost ready to open. In the spring I thought there might be two stand alone buildings but I was wrong. Both Foodland and Tim Hortons are/will be open 24 hours.
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Knechtel...that brings me back. Now I've remembered IGA and Dutch Boy, the latter of which if my memory serves me right, had a big two floor grocery store back in the day (well, one floor, they had a basement level).
Wow, that's digging deep. The Dutch Boy on Highland in Kitchener may have had a somewhat sketchy lower level. And yes the Knechtels (Foodland) in Ayr used to be on Gibson Street.
(05-23-2017, 09:32 PM)embe Wrote: [ -> ]Wow, that's digging deep. The Dutch Boy on Highland in Kitchener may have had a somewhat sketchy lower level. And yes the Knechtels (Foodland) in Ayr used to be on Gibson Street.
I don't think so. I worked there for a number of years as a student and I have no recollection of any basement.
There was one on Franklin Street near the Highway 8 cut; could that have been the one with the basement?
The Dutch Boy on Margaret Ave (now a Giant Tiger) had a basement. I recall housewares and such being downstairs.
(05-24-2017, 09:27 AM)panamaniac Wrote: [ -> ] (05-23-2017, 09:32 PM)embe Wrote: [ -> ]Wow, that's digging deep. The Dutch Boy on Highland in Kitchener may have had a somewhat sketchy lower level. And yes the Knechtels (Foodland) in Ayr used to be on Gibson Street.
I don't think so. I worked there for a number of years as a student and I have no recollection of any basement.
I work at the Highland Sobeys as a Night Crew Grocery clerk. There is a basement there but it's not accessible to customers. The door to it is in the stock room area and it's locked. As far as I know no one ever goes down there not even the Managers.
(05-24-2017, 10:31 AM)kps Wrote: [ -> ]The Dutch Boy on Margaret Ave (now a Giant Tiger) had a basement. I recall housewares and such being downstairs.
Yep, that was the one with the basement level. Toys, housewares, etc were all on the lower level.