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Could a Loblaws be next? Mayor broadly optimistic

Loblaw plans to build 50 new stores in 2016, but will east Guelph be one of them?
grocery shopping cart food

Plans by Loblaw to build 50 new stores across Canada in 2016 has Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie hopeful, but not particularly optimistic, that one of those stores will be in the city's east end.

"Yes, but only in a broad sense," Guthrie said Tuesday when asked if he was optimistic.

"I'm always holding out hope for the east end of Guelph for any commercial activity, especially a grocery store," Guthrie said.

Loblaw, which operates several grocery store brands and Shoppers Drug Marts, said Tuesday it will spend over $1 billion dollars building 50 new stores and renovating 150 other locations in 2016. It has not yet announced the locations of those new stores.

Guthrie has remained in constant contact with Loblaw and said he has another meeting set with their representatives late this month.

For several years, Loblaw has owned the only parcel of land in the east end suitable for a much-needed grocery store.

"I always remain hopeful that they will come to the east end, but I'm not promising like the previous administration did during an election that we are getting a store," Guthrie said.

"I'll never say they're coming until we get a shovel in the ground," he said, adding that Loblaw has never said it won't be coming to that part of town.

Guthrie said the city needs to start making sure they think outside the "landlocked" commercial property on Watson Road, instead thinking about other ways to meet the commercial needs of that part of town.

The city has begun preliminary work that could eventually see more commercial development happen on the York Road corridor leading into Guelph from the east.


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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