Canada has a lot of grocery stores. While some of these supermarket chains are spread across all Canadian provinces, others are only located in a particular region.
I personally spend the summer of 2022 in Canada and shopped at a lot of these supermarkets.
The following is a list of grocery store chains in Canada in no particular order and not comprehensive by any means.
NOTE: I do my best to provide accurate information, but things like locations data will likely change after publication.
1. No Frills
As the name implies, No Frills is a budget Canadian supermarket chain. Since 1978, savings are passed onto the customer by eliminating advertising, minimizing the number of product choices, and providing a basic shopping experience.
With over 270 locations across 9 Canadian provinces, No Frills is headquartered in Toronto, ON.
2. Safeway
Safeway is a supermarket chain in Canada. There are 155 locations across Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.
Since 1929, Safeway Canada was owned by the American chain of the same name. As of 2013, it is now owned by Sobeys, but retains the same logo as Safeway in the US.
3. Save-On-Foods
With 174 locations mostly in western Canada, Save-On-Foods is headquartered in Langley, BC. Save-On-Foods supermarkets are located in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Yukon Territory.
Founded in 1982, Save-On-Foods is part of the Pattison Food Group which includes Nesters Market among other grocery stores.
4. Sobeys
Sobeys tagline is Canada’s Family Grocery Store. Sobeys was established way back in 1907 in Stellarton, Nova Scotia where it’s still headquartered today.
You can find over 1,500 Sobeys supermarket locations across Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan.
5. Real Canadian Superstore
Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of supermarkets in Canada. Sometimes it’s simply referred to as just Superstore.
Loblaw Companies owns this Canadian supermarket chain with around 120 locations throughout Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Yukon.
6. IGA
IGA which stands for Independent Grocers Alliance is an American chain of grocery stores that operates in more than 41 countries including Canada.
IGA stores in the provinces of Québec, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are operated under Sobeys while IGA stores in the province of British Columbia are mostly independent and fall under Georgia Main Food Group.
7. Nesters Market
Known as “Where the Locals Shop”, Nesters Market was founded in 1987 in Whistler, BC. With a total of just 17 locations, Nesters Market can be found in both British Columbia and Alberta.
Nesters Market locations can be found in major Canadian tourist areas including Banff and Jasper National Park.
8. FreshCo
Founded in 2010, FreshCo is a Canadian supermarket chain. FreshCo is owned by Sobeys.
There are 193 FreshCo supermarket locations across Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.
9. Walmart Canada
Sometimes referred to as a hypermarket chain, Walmart is an American supermarket chain that is also located in Canada. One noticeable difference between Walmart in these two countries is that the supermarkets are called Walmart Supercentre in Canada and Walmart Supercenter in the US.
Since 1994 when the first location opened, Walmart Canada has grown to over 400 locations in every Canadian province and territory except Nunavut.
10. Whole Foods
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market has locations in the US, UK, and Canada. The first Canadian Whole Foods opened in Toronto in 2002 and has since grown to 14 stores. There are multiple Whole Foods Markets in Vancouver and Toronto as well as other locations in Landsdowne Park, Ottawa and Victoria, British Columbia.
11. T&T Supermarket
T&T Supermarket is a Canadian supermarket chain that mainly sells Asian groceries. The first T&T Supermarket opened in 1993 and has since grown to 28 locations across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.
The name T&T refers to Tina and Tiffany which are the names of the founder’s two daughters.
12. Freshmart
Freshmart is a Canadian grocery store chain that is operated as a unit of Loblaw Companies Limited.
It seems that there are around 62 Freshmart locations with most in eastern Canada, centered around the headquarters in Brampton, Ontario.
13. Loblaws
Loblaws has supermarket locations in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Founded in 1919, Loblaws is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario.
Loblaws is not to be confused with Loblaw Companies Limited which is the parent company who owns Loblaws, T&T Supermarket, Real Canadian Superstore, and No Frills among many other Canadian chains like the next one on this list.
14. Your Independent Grocer
Your Independent Grocer is another subsidiary of Loblaw Companies Limited. There are 164 Your Independent Grocer locations across Canada in every province and territory except Manitoba, Nunavut, and Quebec.
15. AG Foods
AG Foods has 25 grocery store locations in Alberta, 17 in British Columbia, and 9 in Saskatchewan. All AG Foods stores are locally owned and operated.
