Sobeys

File:Sobeys Ontario Headquarters 2022.jpg

File:Sobeys headquarters.jpg

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Sobeys was founded in Stellarton, Nova Scotia by John W. Sobey, a former carpenter, in 1907 as a meat delivery business.

In 1921, Sobey's son, Frank, became a partner of the company and added six new grocery stores serving the Pictou County and Antigonish County regions. In 1946, Sobey's opened its first supermarket in New Glasgow after purchasing the operations to Barker Store. By this time, Frank was the first president of J. W. Sobey Stores Limited. By late 1977, Sobeys had 65 store locations.{{cite news |title=Sobeys Stores In Family For Seventy Years |url=https://da.tj.news/viewer?opub=Evening_Times_Globe&date=19770913&page=21&filename=EveningTimesGlobe_19770913_ETG_19770913_0025 |access-date=6 October 2023 |work=Evening Times Globe |date=13 September 1977}}

The chain eventually expanded throughout Atlantic Canada. During most of the second half of the 20th century, it was the region's dominant grocer. In the 1980s, Sobeys expanded into southern Ontario, challenging Loblaws on its "home turf", thereby igniting what came to be a nationwide battle for market supremacy.

Sobeys had significant stakes in New England grocer Hannaford, Quebec grocer Provigo (which owned California grocer Petrini's), and US wholesaler Nash Finch Company until the 1990s. In 1998, Sobeys became the second-largest grocer in the country after purchasing the Oshawa Group, owners of the IGA franchise across Canada, along with several regional chains in Ontario, in addition to various food service and wholesale companies.

In 2002, Sobeys undertook major changes in its store design and customer service policies with the introduction of "Ready to serve". This initiative was reportedly an attempt to emulate the successful moves of the Publix supermarket chain in the southern United States.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/grocery-business-faces-sea-change/article4119476/|title=Grocery business faces sea change|first=Gordon|last=Pitts|work=The Globe and Mail|date=July 20, 2005|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018064344/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/grocery-business-faces-sea-change/article4119476/|archive-date=October 18, 2015}}

In 2005, Sobeys lost a bidding war with Quebec-based Metro to acquire A&P Canada, operator of several Ontario supermarket chains. The all-cash offer made by Sobeys was reportedly the highest bid for the chain, but the U.S. parent, The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, ultimately accepted Metro's $1.7 billion cash-and-stock offer. It is also suggested that the Sobey family was unwilling to cede any control to the Tengelmann Group, the ultimate parent company of A&P at the time.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/two-ceos-dined-one-got-apple-pie/article4119441/?page=all|title=Two CEOs dined, one got Apple Pie|first=Konrad|last=Yakabuski|work=The Globe and Mail|date=July 23, 2005 |access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018064344/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/two-ceos-dined-one-got-apple-pie/article4119441/?page=all|archive-date=October 18, 2015}} Though Sobeys remained the second largest grocery chain in Canada, it was the third place chain in most of the provinces outside the Atlantic region, and the successful purchase of A&P Canada would have helped to bolster its position in Ontario.

In 2007, Sobeys announced a $253 million takeoverEmpire Company Limited, [https://www.empireco.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/EmpireAR14_SEDAR-MDA.pdf "Article in Empire Company Limited"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807084737/https://www.empireco.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/EmpireAR14_SEDAR-MDA.pdf |date=2020-08-07 }} offer for the Thrifty Foods chain in British Columbia.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/sobeys-buys-thrifty-gains-foothold-in-bc/article18204887/|title=Sobeys buys Thrifty, gains foothold in B.C.|first=Marina|last=Strauss|work=The Globe and Mail|date=July 16, 2007|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105211951/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/sobeys-buys-thrifty-gains-foothold-in-bc/article18204887/|archive-date=January 5, 2016}}

In September 2011, Sobeys' wholesale division signed a long-term distribution agreement with American retailer Target for the supply of select food and grocery products to its Canadian stores.{{cite web|url=http://www.marketingmag.ca/news/marketer-news/sobeys-signs-grocery-deal-with-target-36638|title=Sobeys signs grocery deal with Target|first=Evra|last=Taylor|work=Marketing Magazine|date=September 23, 2011|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728184034/http://www.marketingmag.ca/news/marketer-news/sobeys-signs-grocery-deal-with-target-36638|archive-date=July 28, 2013}} In March 2012, Sobeys acquired 236 Shell gas station locations in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.{{cite web|title=Sobeys bags 236 Shell stations, 20 in N.S.|url=http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/74056-sobeys-bags-236-shell-stations-20-ns|website=The Chronicle Herald|access-date=29 July 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819015250/http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/74056-sobeys-bags-236-shell-stations-20-ns|archive-date=19 August 2016}}

In June 2013, Sobeys announced the purchase of Safeway's Canadian operations for $5.8 billion, subject to regulatory approval. The acquisition added Safeway's 214 locations, primarily located in Western Canada, to its portfolio.{{cite news|last=Ladurantaye|first=Teve|title=Sobeys to buy Safeway in $5.8-billion deal|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/sobeys-to-buy-safeway-in-58-billion-deal/article12499648/|work=Globe and Mail|access-date=June 12, 2013|location=Toronto|date=June 13, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225160647/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/sobeys-to-buy-safeway-in-58-billion-deal/article12499648/|archive-date=December 25, 2013}} As a condition of the deal imposed by the Competition Bureau in October 2013, Sobeys was required to sell 23 of its retail locations to other companies. Sobeys sold 29 of its locations, which included 18 Safeway stores. Fifteen were sold to Overwaitea Food Group (particularly in British Columbia and Alberta), and fourteen were sold to affiliates of Federated Co-operatives (particularly in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba) for $430 million in total.{{cite web|title=Canada Safeway's changeover a co-operative effort|url=https://leaderpost.com/life/Canada+Safeway+changeover+operative+effort/9868426/story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525220954/http://www.leaderpost.com/life/Canada+Safeway+changeover+operative+effort/9868426/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 May 2014|work=Regina Leader-Post|access-date=24 May 2014}}{{cite news|first=Geoff|last=Kirbyson|title=Four Winnipeg Safeway stores sold to Red River Co-op|url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/Four-Winnipeg-Safeway-stores-sold-to-Red-River-Co-op-245469731.html|work=Winnipeg Free Press|date=February 13, 2014|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140510045429/http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/Four-Winnipeg-Safeway-stores-sold-to-Red-River-Co-op-245469731.html|archive-date=May 10, 2014}}{{cite web|first=Andrew|last=Duffy|title=All Victoria Safeway stores sold to Overwaitea Food Group|url=http://www.timescolonist.com/all-victoria-safeway-stores-sold-to-overwaitea-food-group-1.853373|work=Times-Colonist|date=February 13, 2014|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717035900/http://www.timescolonist.com/all-victoria-safeway-stores-sold-to-overwaitea-food-group-1.853373|archive-date=July 17, 2014}} In June 2014, Sobeys announced that it would, in the wake of the Safeway purchase, close 50 of its "underperforming" locations. The stores affected were primarily in Western Canada, although some in Ontario and the Atlantic region were also affected.{{cite web|title=Sobeys to shut Amherst Foodland and 5 stores in N.B.|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/sobeys-to-shut-amherst-foodland-and-5-stores-in-n-b-1.2688231|publisher=CBC News|date=June 26, 2014|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105211951/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/sobeys-to-shut-amherst-foodland-and-5-stores-in-n-b-1.2688231|archive-date=January 5, 2016}}{{cite web|title=Sobeys closing 50 underperforming stores across Canada|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/sobeys-closing-50-underperforming-stores-across-canada-1.2688366|publisher=CBC News|date=June 26, 2014|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626184510/http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/sobeys-closing-50-underperforming-stores-across-canada-1.2688366|archive-date=June 26, 2014}} In 2015, Sobeys acquired certain assets and select liabilities of Co-op Atlantic.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/sobeys-rebranding-co-op-atlantic-stores-1.3125622|title=Sobeys rebranding Co-op Atlantic stores|work=CBC News|date=June 24, 2015|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924183443/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/sobeys-rebranding-co-op-atlantic-stores-1.3125622|archive-date=September 24, 2015}}

In July 2016, Empire Company CEO Marc Poulin abruptly left the company after Sobeys reported a $942.6 million loss,{{Cite web|url=https://www.empireco.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Empire-AR-2016_ENG-FINAL-SEDAR.pdf|title=Better food for all. Empire Company Limited 2016 Annual Report|work=Empire Company Limited|date=2019|access-date=2020-01-03}} which was credited to difficulties in integrating the Safeway chain into Sobeys overall operations. The Financial Post also reported that changes made by Sobeys, including the discontinuation of its popular loyalty program, the replacement of Safeway's house brands with Sobeys' brands, reports of poorly stocked inventories at Safeway locations, had impacted the chain's customer loyalty.{{cite web|title=How Sobeys screwed up Safeway in a messy takeover that left empty shelves, massive losses, and drove customers away|url=http://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/how-sobeys-screwed-up-safeway-in-a-messy-takeover-that-left-empty-shelves-massive-losses-and-drove-customers-away|website=Financial Post|access-date=29 July 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728142142/http://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/how-sobeys-screwed-up-safeway-in-a-messy-takeover-that-left-empty-shelves-massive-losses-and-drove-customers-away|archive-date=28 July 2016}}

In January 2018, Sobeys announced an agreement with Ocado to open an e-commerce grocery fulfilment centre in Toronto during late 2020.{{Cite news|url=https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/01/22/sobeys-new-online-grocery-platform/|title=Sobeys is bringing a brand new online grocery platform to Canada|last=Allen|first=Mackenzie|date=22 January 2018|work=MobileSyrup|access-date=22 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123190452/https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/01/22/sobeys-new-online-grocery-platform/|archive-date=23 January 2018}} In contrast, Sobeys-owned Thrifty Foods and IGA use their stores as fulfilment centres for online orders.{{Cite news|url=http://www.canadiangrocer.com/top-stories/behind-the-scenes-of-igas-online-shopping-system-52852|title=Behind the scenes of IGA's online shopping system|last=Cardwell|first=Mark|date=30 April 2015|work=Canadian Grocer|access-date=22 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123190631/http://www.canadiangrocer.com/top-stories/behind-the-scenes-of-igas-online-shopping-system-52852|archive-date=23 January 2018}}

In late January 2018, Sobeys announced that it would, in the wake of the Safeway purchase, close an additional 10 of its "underperforming" locations. The stores affected were in the Fraser Valley Area of British Columbia in Western Canada, and were closed on May 5 with the exception of one of the ten stores that were closed on July 28. Some of the stores affected would reopen as FreshCo.{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/10-safeway-stores-to-be-shuttered-in-b-c-impacting-1000-employees|title=10 Safeway stores to be shuttered in B.C. as labour negotiations begin|date=2018-01-23|work=National Post|access-date=2018-01-24|language=en-US}} As part of the FreshCoEmpire Company Limited [https://corporate.sobeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/EMP.A-Empire-announces-four-FreshCo-locations-in-Saskatchewan.pdf&sa=D&source=hangouts&ust=1576793255412000&usg=AFQjCNFwrfBcd6GokJmOaSsR2omffV0Qyw Article in "Empire Company Limited"]{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} expansion in Western Canada, 22 locations have been confirmed, including the first two Chalo! FreshCo stores out West in Surrey, B.C.

In July 2019, Sobeys announced it will be switching from plastic to paper grocery bags in all its stores by the end of 2020.{{Cite news|url=https://corporate.sobeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/News-Release-Sobeys-to-Eliminate-Plastic-Bags.pdf|title=Sobeys First National Grocer to Eliminate Plastic Bags|date=2019-07-31|work=Sobeys Inc.|access-date=2020-01-03|language=en-CA}}

In September 2023, David Sobey, former chief executive and chair of the Sobeys Inc. grocery store chain, died at the age of 92.{{Cite news |date=2023-09-19 |title=Former Sobeys chief executive and chairman David Sobey dies at 92 |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-former-sobeys-chief-executive-and-chairman-david-sobey-dies-at-92/ |access-date=2023-09-19}}

The Sobeys private label lineup has had several names. They were introduced under the "Sobeys" name, and were renamed "Our Best" in the late 1990s. After its purchase of Oshawa Group, Sobeys dropped "Our Best" in favour of Oshawa's "Our Compliments" brand.

In 2005, Sobeys shortened the name to "Compliments". At the same time, it expanded the brand's lineup to compete with labels such as Loblaw's President's Choice brand. From 2007–2010, they offered "Compliments Junior", aimed at children and co-branded with The Walt Disney Company.

In late 2009, lower-price store-brand products were transitioned from "Compliments Value" to the "Signal" brand, which Sobeys used in the 1990s for a range of similar products. After the Oshawa Group merger, Sobeys dropped that name for Oshawa's "Smart Choice" label, and later for "Compliments Value".{{cite web|first=Jon|last=Springer|url=http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/sobeys-expands-premium-label|title=Sobeys Expands Premium Label|work=Supermarket News|date=September 21, 2009|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018064344/http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/sobeys-expands-premium-label|archive-date=October 18, 2015}}

Private-label soft drinks are branded "Big 8" in Atlantic Canada. Elsewhere, soft drinks bear the Compliments brand.

Image:Needs convenience store. sobeys gas bar. Moncton NB 6974.jpg

In addition to the flagship Sobeys banner, the company operates supermarkets under a number of other banners:

{{main|IGA (Canada)}}

IGA and IGA Extra are the main banners in the province of Quebec. There are also 35 Sobeys-owned IGA stores in Western Canada. An IGA store is also in mainly French-speaking Edmundston, New Brunswick, and an IGA Extra (a rebranded Sobeys location) is in Caraquet and Campbellton, New Brunswick. MarketPlace IGA stores in British Columbia are independently owned by H.Y. Louie,{{cite web|url=http://www.iga.com/aboutiga/releases/2005/hylouie.asp |title=H.Y. Louie Co. Limited to join IGA International |publisher=IGA Press Release |date=February 10, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060327104716/http://www.iga.com/aboutiga/releases/2005/hylouie.asp |archive-date=March 27, 2006 }} parent company of London Drugs. These stores also carry Compliments products. Sobeys has reportedly made unsuccessful attempts to purchase the MarketPlace chain.

At the time of the Sobeys takeover of the Oshawa Group, all IGA locations in Atlantic Canada were purchased separately by Loblaws for competition reasons. Loblaws converted these IGA locations to their own banners.

{{main|Safeway Canada}}

In June 2013, Sobeys announced its intent to acquire Safeway's Canadian stores for $5.8 billion.

{{Distinguish|Foodland Ontario}}

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Sobeys operates the smaller grocery store Foodland chain, mainly in rural areas of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario. In 2022, a flyer for the supermarket was criticized for featuring farm owners who allegedly mistreated migrant workers from Jamaica.{{cite web |last1=Lev |first1=Ellanna |title=Foodland flyer sparks outrage: Farm family takes spotlight while migrant workers 'invisibilized' |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/foodland-flyer-canada-migrant-worker-jamaica-165019857.html |website=Yahoo News Canada |date=25 August 2022 |access-date=21 May 2023}} Other smaller grocery stores are operated under the Tradition Markets banner in Quebec and the Food Town banner in Western Canada.

Sobeys operates Thrifty Foods, a chain of 26 grocery stores{{Cite web|url=https://www.empireco.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Empire-AIF-2019-SEDAR.pdf|title=Empire Company Limited Annual Information Form|work=Empire Company Limited|date=2019-07-04|access-date=2020-01-03}} with an online grocery service based in Victoria, British Columbia.{{cite web|url=http://www.timescolonist.com/business/victoria-grocers-ready-for-amazon-delivery-invasion-1.680728|title=Victoria grocers ready for Amazon delivery invasion|work=Times-Colonist|date=October 31, 2013|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825095844/http://www.timescolonist.com/business/victoria-grocers-ready-for-amazon-delivery-invasion-1.680728|archive-date=August 25, 2015}}

In 2010, Sobeys launched FreshCo, a discount banner. The pilot stores are rebranded Price Chopper outlets in Southern Ontario.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/sobeys-launches-freshco-discount-line-1.881699|title=Sobeys launches FreshCo discount line|publisher=CBC News|date=May 12, 2010|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018064344/http://www.cbc.ca/news/sobeys-launches-freshco-discount-line-1.881699|archive-date=October 18, 2015}} FreshCo uses a franchise model and the stores are independently owned.

In April 2019,{{Cite web|url=https://www.empireco.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019-Empire-AR.pdf|title=Empire Company Limited Annual Report 2019|work=Empire Company Limited|date=2019|access-date=2020-01-03}} FreshCo launched in Western Canada, opening three stores in British Columbia and two in Winnipeg, as well as two Chalo! FreshCo stores in British Columbia. They have since announced{{Cite web|url=https://corporate.sobeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Empire-advances-FreshCo-expansion-into-Western-Canada.pdf|title=Empire advances FreshCo expansion into Western Canada|work=Empire Company Limited|date=2019-06-04|access-date=2020-01-03}} additional locations as part of its expansion into Western Canada. The Western Canadian stores are branded with the distinctive new FreshCo 2.0 look and feel, and an updated merchandising program that is also being used with FreshCo stores in Ontario. There are 7 locations that have been rebranded as Chalo FreshCo in areas with large South Asian Canadian communities.

File:SobeysUrbanFreshBayStreet.jpg

In 2008, a uniquely designed urban-format Sobeys was opened in downtown Edmonton. It was closed in the summer of 2014; a Sobeys representative said, "It just wasn't financially viable for us to operate."{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/sobeys-closing-store-on-104th-street-1.2688247|title=Sobeys closes story on 104th street|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=June 26, 2014|access-date=March 20, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330045701/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/sobeys-closing-store-on-104th-street-1.2688247|archive-date=March 30, 2016}} Other Edmonton locations have been proposed, including College Heights and Cloverdale; as well as locations in Calgary and Vancouver.

In November 2013, Sobeys unveiled its first "Sobeys Extra" store in Burlington, Ontario. The newly refurbished 58,000-sq.-ft. store is the first launched under the Sobeys Extra banner in Canada.{{cite web|url=http://www.canadiangrocer.com/top-stories/food-discovery-on-display-at-the-new-sobeys-extra-35061|title=Sobeys unveils its latest store, with food discovery and more|publisher=Canadian Grocer|date=November 28, 2013|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923200129/http://www.canadiangrocer.com/top-stories/food-discovery-on-display-at-the-new-sobeys-extra-35061|archive-date=September 23, 2015}}

• Commisso's Food Markets in Ontario were rebranded Sobeys and Price Chopper.
• Food City from the Oshawa Group in Ontario were mainly rebranded Price Chopper.
• Garden Market IGA stores in Western Canada were rebranded Sobeys.
• Dutch Boy, a chain in the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario, was rebranded Sobeys.
• Knechtel, a small-market grocery store chain under Oshawa Group, was rebranded Foodland.
• Lofood, a small discount grocery store, was rebranded Price Chopper.
• Calbeck's, an independent chain acquired in 1990, was rebranded Sobeys, Price Chopper and Foodland.

The company owns the Needs, Sobeys Express, and BoniChoix convenience store chains, and the Lawtons drug store chain in Atlantic Canada. They also own the wholesale food distribution company TRA Atlantic. The company delivers products to retail outlets, such as convenience stores and gas stations, throughout Atlantic Canada. TRA also operates the Kwik-Way and Clover Farm convenience store chains.

At some Sobeys locations, tobacco products are sold in a separate Sobeys-owned store called Griffins. They are a part of the Sobeys store but only accessible from the outside, due to provincial laws prohibiting stores with pharmacies from selling tobacco products. A number of Sobeys and Needs stores in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have a gas bar branded Sobeys Fast Fuel.

Sobeys Express stores (called IGA Express in Quebec) feature produce and take-out meals alongside items commonly found in convenience stores. Some are operated as the convenience store for Sobeys-operated Shell stations.{{cite web|title=Sobeys gas bars to upgrade food offerings|url=http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1328092-sobeys-gas-bars-to-upgrade-food-offerings|website=The Chronicle Herald|access-date=29 July 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818201322/http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1328092-sobeys-gas-bars-to-upgrade-food-offerings|archive-date=18 August 2016}}

On September 24, 2018, Empire Co. Ltd., Sobeys' parent, announced it had signed an agreement to purchase Farm Boy, an Ontario chain of 26 supermarkets, for $800-million. Farm Boy founder Jean-Louis Bellemare and his co-CEO Jeff York will continue in their roles, since the company will operate as a separate entity. The move allows Farm Boy to continue with aggressive expansion plans into Southwestern Ontario, particularly the Toronto region.{{Cite news|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/business/local-business/farm-boy-stores-to-be-sold-to-owner-of-sobeys-grocery-chain | title=Ottawa's beloved Farm Boy stores to be sold to owner of Sobeys grocery chain| date=2018-09-24|work=Ottawa|access-date=2018-09-24|language=en-CA}} The number of stores was expected to double over the next five years.{{Cite news|url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2018/09/24/sobeys-parent-company-acquire-farm-boy-800-million-deal/ | title=Sobeys parent company to acquire Farm Boy in $800M deal |date=2018-09-24|work=City News Toronto|access-date=2018-09-24|language=en-CA}}

{{Update|section|date=July 2023}}

{{as of|alt=As of mid-August 2022|2022|08}}, in Quebec, Ontario and western Canada, Sobeys and its affiliated banners continue to offer the Air Miles loyalty rewards program. At various times prior to joining Air Miles, Sobeys-owned locations in many regions offered the in-house Club Sobeys/Club Thrifty Foods program. In current calculations and practices, 95 accrued reward miles (with each mile earned for every $20 spent) can be redeemed for $10 off of purchases.

When Sobeys became an Air Miles partner, its partnership was restricted to Quebec and Atlantic Canada—the same territory rights held by Oshawa Group prior to its acquisition by Sobeys in 1998. Air Miles had partnered with Safeway for all of its locations across western Canada and northwestern Ontario, while A&P Canada (later Metro) had the rights in the rest of Ontario. In June 2014, shortly after its acquisition of Safeway Canada (Air Miles' original grocery partner), Sobeys announced plans to expand its Air Miles participation to Sobeys, IGA, Foodland and Thrifty Foods stores in Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario on September 12, 2014, replacing Club Sobeys and Club Thrifty Foods in those areas.{{cite web|url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1378127/sobeys-to-launch-air-miles-reward-program-at-additional-banners-in-western-canada|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018064345/http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/sobeys-to-launch-air-miles-reward-program-at-additional-banners-in-western-canada-514489011.html|title=Sobeys to Launch AIR MILES Reward Program at Additional Banners in Western Canada|author=Sobeys Inc.|publisher=CNW Group|archive-date=2015-10-18|date=June 24, 2014|access-date=2019-08-31}}

Club Sobeys was a loyalty program at the chain's Atlantic Canada locations offered during the 1990s, prior to Sobeys securing the regional rights to Air Miles through the Oshawa Group merger. As the company expanded its operations in Ontario and Western Canada in the 2000s, Sobeys introduced the Club Sobeys program in those markets. It was known as Club Thrifty Foods in the British Columbia locations of that chain, after it was acquired.

In the Club Sobeys region, Sobeys introduced, in partnership with Citibank Canada, a Club Sobeys MasterCard credit card. These card accounts were later transferred to Bank of Montreal, which also introduced the BMO Sobeys Air Miles MasterCard in Atlantic Canada (and IGA Air Miles MasterCard in Quebec). Following the transition from Club Sobeys to Air Miles in 2014, all Club Sobeys credit cards were converted to BMO Sobeys Air Miles MasterCards, which were then replaced by standard BMO Air Miles Mastercards a few years later.

In early 2015, Sobeys announced that the Air Miles loyalty program would be extended into Ontario on March 27, 2015, replacing the Club Sobeys loyalty program. This was a result of a new agreement between Air Miles and Metro, which extended Metro's partnership but gave up its exclusivity in the grocery category in Ontario.{{cite web|url=http://www.canadiangrocer.com/top-stories/sobeys-and-metro-to-offer-air-miles-in-ontario-stores-48183|title=Sobeys to offer Air Miles in Ontario, too|publisher=Canadian Grocer|date=January 16, 2015|access-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623162627/http://www.canadiangrocer.com/top-stories/sobeys-and-metro-to-offer-air-miles-in-ontario-stores-48183|archive-date=June 23, 2015}}

In June 2022, Empire Company announced that it will end its participation in Air Miles and switch to the Cineplex Entertainment and Scotiabank-owned Scene+ program at its grocery and pharmacy chains. Empire will also hold an ownership stake in the company.{{Cite web |title=Grocery chain Empire joins ownership group behind Scene+ loyalty program |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8904208/grocery-chain-empire-joins-ownership-group-behind-scene-loyalty-program/ |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=Global News |language=en-US}} The transition began with Atlantic Canada on August 11, 2022, to be followed by a nationwide rollout to Quebec (IGA), Ontario and Western Canada through late 2022 to early 2023.

In 2018, Sobeys was implicated in a 14-16 year long national price-fixing cartel with other Canadian supermarkets and the bread supplier Canada Bread.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/competition-bureau-bread-price-fixing-1.4512332|title=Bakers, grocers met to reach deals on bread prices, competition watchdog alleges|date=31 Jan 2018|publisher=cbc.ca|first=Aleksandra|last=Sagan}} Sobeys, along with other retailers, allegedly conspired to fix the price of bread and arrange when increases would be made. Canada Bread pled guilty to four counts of price fixing in July 2023.{{Cite news |last=Bundale |first=Brett |date=June 21, 2023 |title=Canada Bread fined $50M for bread price fixing, Competition Bureau turns to grocers |work=Toronto Star |agency=The Canadian Press |url=https://www.thestar.com/politics/2023/06/21/canada-bread-fined-50m-for-bread-price-fixing-competition-bureau-turns-to-grocers.html |access-date=June 21, 2023}} Sobeys has denied any culpability, calling the allegations "irresponsible"; no charges have been filed to date against Sobeys.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bread-price-fixing-loblaw-1.6719884|title=It's been 5 years since the bread price-fixing probe started. We still don't have any answers|first=Sophia|last=Harris|work=CBCNews.ca|date=January 23, 2023|access-date=January 16, 2024}}

File:VoilaBySobeysDeliveryVanCropped.jpg

In January 2018, the company signed a deal with British company Ocado Group PLC to provide e-commerce solution for Sobeys using robots to assemble customer orders.{{cite news|url=http://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/update-2-ocado-to-tap-into-canadas-online-grocery-market-with-sobeys-tie-up|title=Sobeys to expand online grocery business by tying up with Britain's ecommerce giant Ocado|work=Financial Post|date=June 24, 2014|access-date=September 27, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/sobeys-predicts-e-commerce-dominance-ocado|title=Sobeys predicts e-commerce dominance with Ocado|publisher=Supermarket News|date=March 14, 2018|access-date=September 27, 2018}}

Michael Medline, CEO of Empire and Sobeys, said that the online grocery sales business would not be ready for approximately two years, and that he expected it to take another two years for the business to be profitable. A Bloomberg News reporter who viewed a video of a similar system described the process: "[The] similar Ocado facility in Andover, England, shows the facility spanning nearly 21,000 square metres (5¼ acres) with robots rolling over a grid to pick and pack customer orders in about five minutes." The publication Tech Insider, owned by Business Insider, posted a similar video to YouTube, stating: "Ocado's new warehouse has thousands of robots zooming around a grid system to pack groceries. [These] robots can process 65,000 orders every week. They communicate on a 4G network to avoid bumping into each other. Is this the future of retail?"{{Cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/robotic-grocery-store-ocado-2017-3|title=The world's largest online food retailer gets its food from giant robotic grocery warehouses – take a look|work=Business Insider|date=2017-03-31|access-date=2020-01-03}}

In addition to operating the automated warehouse, Ocado's{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/robotic-grocery-store-ocado-2017-3|title=The world's largest online food retailer gets its food from giant robotic grocery warehouses — take a look|work=Business Insider|date=March 31, 2017|access-date=September 27, 2018}}

technology provides instructions to delivery vans.{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2018/01/22/sobeys-partners-with-uks-ocado-group-to-help-build-online-grocery-shopping-business.html|title=Loblaw plans to 'blanket' Canada with e-commerce options by the end of 2018|work=Toronto Star|date=January 22, 2018|access-date=September 27, 2018}}

Voilà, an online grocery retailer operated by Sobeys launched in June 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.toronto.com/news-story/10040613-video-sobeys-launches-delivery-service-in-vaughan-with-robots-packing-groceries/|title=VIDEO: Sobeys launches delivery service in Vaughan with robots packing groceries|publisher=toronto.com|date=June 24, 2020}}

Sobeys is a national partner of Special Olympics Canada.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sobeys.com/en/special-olympics-canada/|title=Sobeys Inc. proudly partners with Special Olympics Canada|work=Sobeys Inc.|date=2019|access-date=2020-01-03}}

Sobeys is based in Stellarton, Nova Scotia and has 27 distribution centres in Canada.{{Cite web|url=https://www.broccolini.com/en/project/sobeys|title=Sobeys|website=Broccolini | Real Estate developer, contractor, homebuilder}}

Its stores are located across Canada with 54 in Alberta, 1 in British Columbia, 17 in Manitoba, 23 in New Brunswick, 14 in Newfoundland and Labrador, 42 in Nova Scotia, 90 in Ontario, 5 in Prince Edward Island, and 10 in Saskatchewan.

The Sobeys conglomerate is owned by Empire Company Limited, which is controlled by the Sobey family. The Empire Company also owns the trademarks to their former Empire Theatres cinema chain, which was until October 2013 Canada's second-largest movie theatre chain, when its locations were split between Cineplex Entertainment (Atlantic locations) and Landmark Cinemas (Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta). Empire also owns many commercial properties through its subsidiary Crombie REIT.

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