Miracle Food Mart
| Division | |
| Industry | Grocery Retail |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Defunct | 1989 |
| Headquarters | Ontario |
| Products | Groceries |
| Owner | Steinberg Inc. |
Miracle Food Mart was a supermarket chain in Ontario, Canada, owned by Steinberg's, a Quebec-based retailer in the 1970s and 1980s.
Steinberg purchased the Canadian division of Grand Union, with 38 stores, in June 1959 to make its entrance into Ontario. These stores operated under the Steinberg banner until January 1969, when the marketing program of "Miracle Discount Pricing" was introduced and the entire chain of stores was converted to the Miracle Food Mart banner.[1] The marketing philosophy was a simple one, reduce all of the "fancy" advertising such as colour flyers, television and radio spots and offer everyday items at deeply reduced prices as a line item within the weekly black & white flyer. This move proved to be successful as the chain expanded quickly (to approximately 80 stores) over the next ten years, gaining a substantial increase in market share.
In 1973, the Miracle Food Mart division made a revolutionary move to abolish its general-image advertising and to mount a "give-'em-the-facts" consumer-oriented campaign. The program included a formal Consumer Bill of Rights, nutrition booklets, a key to the codes used to mark perishables, and clearly labelled price tags.
The supermarket flourished in the 1970s, and expanded with the Miracle Ultra Mart banner into bigger stores with a wide range of health care and general merchandise. The company spent C$30 million in improvements for its Miracle Food Marts in 1987, creating several large 24-hour food-and-drug stores called Miracle Ultra-Marts. The stores offered fresh fish and deli departments, party-planning services, kitchen centres selling microwave ovens, and hardware and electronic centres. In 1989, the chain was sold to A&P Canada. A&P converted the Miracle Food Mart stores into A&P, Dominion or Food Basics stores, but continued the Ultra Mart banner (dropping the "Miracle"), which it later rebranded as Ultra Food & Drug.
Miracle Food Mart stores were often paired with Miracle Mart discount department stores (another Steinberg chain) in mall settings, some operating as one Miracle Beaucoup store. But in the latter years, they became stand-alone locations at smaller plazas across the Greater Toronto Area.
Locations
Ontario
Most locations continue to be used as supermarkets, but some have been redeveloped for other retail or non-retail used:
| Location | Later use | Current use (type if not supermarket) |
|---|---|---|
| Ajax - Harwood Place | now a Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | |
| Barrie - Bayfield Mall | now a Winners (fashion retail) | |
| Belleville - Quinte Mall | Location split into Toys R Us (toy store), East Side Mario's (eatery) and Work Authority (other retail) | |
| Bowmanville - Bowmanville Mall | converted to A&P | Acquired by Metro after sale of A&P Canada |
| Bramalea (Brampton) - Bramalea City Centre Operated with a Miracle Mart, for a time as a Miracle Beaucoup, later Miracle Ultra Mart | became Ultra Food & Drug, later converted to A&P in early 2000's | Acquired by Metro after sale of A&P Canada |
| Brampton - Hurontario Street & Steeles Avenue | converted to A&P | Food Basics - after Metro Inc. acquired A&P Canada |
| Brampton - Brampton Mall, Main Street South | converted to A&P | Acquired by Metro after sale of A&P Canada |
| Brantford - Lynden Park Mall | converted to A&P | Food Basics - after Metro Inc. acquired A&P Canada |
| Burlington - Fairview Street | converted to Ultra Food & Drug, then a Metro (closed in September 2014) | Now a Food Basics (Metro Inc.) |
| Burlington - Guelph Line at Upper Middle Roads | Food Basics - after Metro Inc. acquired A&P Canada | |
| Cambridge - Cambridge Centre (Highway 24 & Bishop Street and formerly John Galt Centre with Miracle Mart as second anchor | converted to Bulk Barn and several smaller stores | H & M (clothing retail) |
| Chatham - 100 King Street West (Downtown Chatham Centre) | converted to Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | Closed and turned into other retail spaces |
| Dundas - University Plaza | converted to The Barn Markets (A&P Canada) | Metro after Metro Inc. acquired A&P Canada |
| Etobicoke - Browns Line & Evans Avenue Plaza | now Asian supermarket Top Food | |
| Etobicoke - Eringate Mall, Renforth Road south of Eglinton Avenue | Demolished and replaced by residential dwellings | |
| Georgetown - Highway 7 | Acquired by A&P | Food Basics - after Metro Inc. acquired A&P Canada |
| Grimsby, Ontario Village Inn Plaza, Main Street | Food Basics - after Metro Inc. acquired A&P Canada | |
| Guelph - Stone Road Mall | replaced by Chapters; successor to Miracle Food Mart, Ultra Food & Drug, opened at nearby location and now as Metro. | |
| Hamilton - Upper Gage at Fennell | converted to The Barn Markets | Acquired by Metro when A&P Canada sold |
| Hamilton - Upper Gage at Mohawk Road East | Food Basics - after Metro Inc. acquired A&P Canada | |
| Hamilton - Upper James at Mohawk | converted to The Barn Markets (A&P Canada) and Canadian Tire | Metro after A&P Canada sold |
| Kitchener - Westmount Road at Ottawa | converted to Dutch Boy, then a Price Chopper (Oshawa Group) | FreshCo - after Sobeys acquired Price Chopper from Oshawa Group |
| London - Cherryhill Mall | converted to an A&P | Metro after sale of A&P Canada |
| London - Wonderland & Commissioners | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | |
| London - Baseline & Wharncliffe | now a Xpress Cargo & Nevada Bob's (other retail) | |
| London - Oxbury Mall | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | |
| London - Bradley Square | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | |
| Markham - Markville Shopping Centre | Demolished | Site is now a Best Buy (electronic retail) |
| Erindale (Mississauga) - Westdale Mall Store 229 | converted to Dominion, then a Metro | FreshCo (Sobeys) |
| Erin Mills (Mississauga) - Meadowvale Town Centre | became a A&P, then a Dominion | Metro after A&P Canada sale |
| Erin Mills (Mississauga) - Millway Plaza | converted as Food Basics | Giant Tiger (other retail) |
| Park Royal (Mississauga) - Park Royal Plaza Store 216 | Dominion Save-A-Centre | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) |
| Malton (Mississauga) - Westwood Mall | Food Basics, closed February 2012 and demolished | Walmart |
| Mississauga - Mississauga Marketplace (Hurontario & Eglinton) | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | Asian supermarket Oceans |
| Mississauga - High Point Mall (Dixie & Bloor) | Grant's Foodmart | Oceans Fresh Food Market |
| Mississauga - Applewood Village Plaza (North Service Road & Stanfield) | Dominion, then Metro (closed in January 2014 and demolished | Has become a Longo's Supermarket |
| Mississauga - Iona Square (Mississauga Valley Blvd) | Dominion | Metro |
| Niagara Falls Victoria Avenue | Later as Hy & Zels and then Pharmacy 1 (other retail) | Shoppers Drug Mart (pharmacy) - after collapse of Pharmacy 1 |
| North York - Store 269, Willowdale Plaza, Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue East | converted to Dominion, then Metro | Closed in January 2010 and demolished and replaced Hullmark Centre condos (residential) |
| North York - Sheppard Plaza, Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West | converted to Dominion | Metro |
| North York - Newtonbrook Plaza, Yonge and Cummer | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | |
| North York - Store 236, Victoria Park Avenue and Sheppard Avenue East | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | |
| North York - Finchdale Plaza | Converted to Galati Brothers then as Asian supermarket Oriental Food Mart | Centra Food Market |
| North York - 1090 Wilson Avenue | Became Dominion | Metro |
| Oakville - Upper Oakville Plaza | converted to an Ultra Food & Drug, then Dominion | Metro |
| Oakville - Kerr Street and Speers Road | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | |
| Oshawa - Rossland Square, Rossland and Wilson | converted to A&P | Metro after sale of A&P Canada |
| Orillia - Front and Coldwater | converted to A&P | Metro after sale of A&P Canada |
| Scarborough - Bamburgh Circle | converted to an Ultra Food & Drug and later as Bamburgh Food Mart | now Asian supermarket Foody Mart |
| Scarborough - Cedarbrae Mall | converted to Loblaws | now No Frills (Loblaws) |
| Scarborough - Scarborough Town Centre | Converted lower food court and various stores on upper floors | |
| Scarborough - Alton Towers | later as Ultra Food & Drug and later as Asian supermarket Food Fair | Asian supermarket Oriental Food Mart |
| Scarborough - Store 275, Parkway Mall | converted to Dominion | Metro |
| Scarborough - Markham Corners | Ultra Food and Drug, Converted to Food Basics in ca. 2002 | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) |
| Scarborough - White Shield Plaza at Lawrence Avenue East at Kennedy Road[2] | Asian supermarket Lake Tai | |
| Scarborough - Kennedy Park Plaza | Giant Tiger (Other retail) | |
| Simcoe | converted into A&P | continued to use the "Miracle Food Mart" name until the mid 1990s creating 2 A&P stores in town, now Food Basics (Metro Inc.) |
| St. Catharines - The Pen Centre | converted to Dominion and closed after 4 years | Zehrs Markets (Loblaws) |
| Sudbury - Notre Dame Avenue | Converted to A&P | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) |
| Sudbury - LaSalle Boulevard | Converted to A&P | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) |
| Sudbury - Southridge Mall | converted to A&P, then Metro. Closed in January 2015. | Giant Tiger |
| Thornhill - Bathurst Street and Steeles Avenue West | Later as Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | FreshCo (Sobeys) |
| Toronto - Jane Park Plaza | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | |
| Toronto - Gerrard Square at Pape Avenue & Gerrard Street East | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | |
| Markham - Shops on Steeles and 404 | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) | |
| Toronto (East York) - Thorncliffe Shopping Centre | converted to Dominion | Food Basics (Metro Inc.) |
| Toronto Bathurst and Viewmount | converted to Dominion | Purchased by adjacent school - Bialik Hebrew Day School which subsequently expanded its campus (educational) |
| Welland - Seaway Mall | Converted to a new wing of the mall, which currently includes Dollarama, Bulk Barn and several other stores and services (other retail) | |
| Whitby - Dundas & Frances | Converted first to A&P, then Food Basics | Giant Tiger (Other retail) |
| Whitby - Whitby Mall | Closed in 1996 | Office Depot (Other retail) |
| Windsor - Devonshire Mall | converted to A&P | Chapters (bookstore) |
| Windsor - University Plaza | converted to A&P, then Metro | Closed in Sept 2016. Will re-open as Food Basics shortly. |
See also
References
- ↑ Bradburn, Jamie (21 February 2009). "Historicist: From a Grand Union to a Miracle". Torontoist. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- ↑ Gwynn, David. "Toronto Chain Supermarket Locations, 1950-1980". Groceteria.com. Retrieved 16 July 2013.