Midland’s lone downtown grocery store will soon have a new banner.
Steve Maurice, who along with wife Karen, has operated Maurice’s Your Independent Grocer, said Loblaw Companies Limited wants to change the longtime, family operated store into a No Frills.
“I’ve been told that I’m selling the business,” Maurice told MidlandToday Monday morning. “Loblaw’s has decided this business would be better off as a No Frills. Karen and I will be moving on.”
Maurice’s family has been involved with the running of the location for close to 50 years. His father previously served as manager of the old Dominion store in 1974 and in the early 1980s, they bought the location, which then went under the Mr. Grocer banner.
The store switched to a Valu-Mart in the 1990s and in 2020 became a Your Independent Grocer, which operates 54 one-stop-shop-supermarkets throughout Ontario predominantly in northern Ontario, Sudbury and Ottawa regions.
“For Karen and I this is our 18th year of running it," Maurice said.
A request for comment from Loblaw wasn't returned by presstime.
Maurice said the news has been upsetting for people, including the store’s workforce, which features many long-term employees.
“We hope and trust that the majority of people will be offered positions in the new store,” Maurice said, adding the change to No Frills is expected to occur in the next six to eight months, but “it’s out of our hands.”
The family-owned and operated location has proven to be good corporate citizen over the years and been very involved in various community and charitable events. Just last month, the store served as the opening-night sponsor for Huronia Players’ staging of Deathtrap.