Miracle Food Mart

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 Grand Union chain of 38 stores in June 1959 to make its entrance into the Ontario market. These stores operated unter the Steinberg banner until 1969. In January 1969, 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 centers selling microwave ovens, and hardware and electronic centers. 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, but in the latter years, they became stand-alone locations at smaller plazas across the Greater Toronto Area.

Locations

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Ontario

• Ajax - Harwood Place, now a Food Basics
• Barrie - Bayfield Mall, now a Winners
• Belleville - Quinte Mall, now a Toys R Us, East Side Mario's and Everything For A Dollar Store.
• Bowmanville - Bowmanville Mall, converted to A&P, now Metro
• Bramalea (Brampton) - Bramalea City Centre, converted to A&P, now a Metro.
• Brampton - Hurontario & Steeles, converted to A&P, now Food Basics.
• Brampton - Brampton Mall, Main St. S., converted to A&P, now Metro.
• Brampton - Bramalea City Centre, converted to A&P, now Metro.
• Brantford - Lynden Park Mall - converted to A&P, now a Food Basics store.
• Burlington - Fairview Street, converted to Ultra Food & Drug and now a Metro.
• Burlington - Guelph Line at Upper Middle Roads - Now a Food Basics store.
• Cambridge - Cambridge Centre - Hwy 24 & Bishop St (Formerly John Galt Centre with Miracle Mart as second anchor) - converted to Bulk Barn and several smaller stores. Space now an H & M.
• Chatham - 100 King St. W, located in the Downtown Chatham Centre, converted to Food Basics; now closed.
• Dundas - University Plaza - converted to The Barn, now a Metro
• Etobicoke - Browns Line & Evans Avenue plaza now Top Food Supermarket
• Etobicoke - Eringate Mall, Renforth Road south of Eglinton. Demolished and replaced by residential dwellings.
• Georgetown - Highway 7, now a Food Basics
• Grimsby, Ontario Village Inn Plaza, Main St. Now a Food Basics
• Guelph - Stone Road Mall, replaced by Chapters, Ultra Food & Drug opened nearby, which is now a Metro.
• Hamilton - Upper Gage at Fennell, converted to The Barn, now a Metro.
• Hamilton - Upper Gage at Mohawk Rd. E, converted to a Food Basics.
• Hamilton - Upper James at Mohawk, converted to The Barn and Canadian Tire, now Metro has replaced The Barn.
• Kitchener - Westmount Road at Ottawa, converted to Dutch Boy, then a Price Chopper, now FreshCo.
• London - Cherryhill Mall, converted to an A&P, now Metro.
• London - Wonderland & Commissioners, now Food Basics.
• London - Baseline & Wharncliffe, now a Xpress Cargo & Nevada Bob's.
• London - Oxbury Mall, now a Food Basics.
• London - Bradley Square, now a Food Basics.
• Markham - Markville Shopping Centre - Reconfigured into a Best Buy
• Erindale (Mississauga) - Westdale Mall, converted to Dominion, then a Metro, now a FreshCo.
• Erin Mills (Mississauga) - Meadowvale Town Centre, became a A&P, then a Dominion, and now Metro
• Erin Mills (Mississauga) - Millway Plaza, became a Food Basics, now Giant Tiger
• Park Royal (Mississauga) - Park Royal Plaza, became a Dominion Save-A-Centre now Food Basics
• Malton (Mississauga) - Westwood Mall, then Food Basics, closed in Feb. 2012 and demolished, now a Walmart
• Mississauga - Mississauga Marketplace (Hurontario & Eglinton), became a Food Basics, now an Oceans supermarket.
• Mississauga - Applewood Village Plaza (North Service Road & Stanfield), became a Dominion, then Metro, closed in Jan. 2014 and soon to be demolished.
• Mississauga - Iona Square (Mississauga Valley Blvd), became a Dominion, now Metro
• Niagara Falls Victoria Ave. Was replaced by Hy & Zels, then Pharmacy 1. Now Shoppers Drug Mart.
• North York - Store 269, Willowdale Plaza, Yonge and Sheppard, converted to Dominion, then Metro, closed in Jan. 2010 and demolished for condo project
• North York - Sheppard Plaza, Bathurst and Sheppard, converted to Dominion, now Metro
• North York - Newtonbrook Plaza, Yonge and Cummer, now Food Basics
• North York - Victoria Park Ave. and Sheppard Ave. East, now Food Basics
• North York - Finchdale Plaza, then as Galati Brothers and now Oriental Food Mart
• North York - 1090 Wilson Avenue became Dominion, now Metro
• Oakville - Upper Oakville Plaza, converted to an Ultra Food & Drug, then Dominion, now Metro
• Oakville - Kerr Street and Speers Road, now Food Basics
• Oshawa - Rossland Square, Rossland and Wilson, converted to A&P, now Metro
• Orillia - Front and Coldwater, converted to A&P, now Metro
• Scarborough - Bamburgh Circle, now Foody Mart Supermarket
• Scarborough - Cedarbrae Mall, converted to Loblaws, now No Frills
• Scarborough - Scarborough Town Centre, now lower food court and various stores
• Scarborough - Alton Towers, then as Ultra Food & Drug and Food Fair Supermarket and now Oriental Food Mart
• Scarborough - Parkway Mall, converted to Dominion, now Metro
• Scarborough - Markham Corners, now Food Basics
• Scarborough - Lawrence Avenue East at Kennedy Road^[2]
• Simcoe - Converted into A&P during the 1990s creating 2 stores in town, now Food Basics
• St. Catharines - The Pen Centre, converted to Dominion, closed after 4 years, now Zehrs Markets
• Sudbury - Notre Dame Ave, converted to A&P, now Food Basics
• Sudbury - LaSalle Blvrd, converted to A&P, now Food Basics
• Sudbury - Southridge Mall, converted to A&P, now Metro.
• Thornhill - Bathurst/Steeles, became Food Basics, now FreshCo.
• Toronto - Jane Park Plaza, now Food Basics
• Toronto - Gerrard Square (Pape & Gerrard), now Food Basics
• Toronto - Shops on Steeles and 404, now Food Basics
• Toronto (East York) - Thorncliffe Shopping Centre, converted to Dominion, now Food Basics
• Toronto Bathurst and Viewmount, converted to Dominion, then purchased by adjacent school - Bialik Hebrew Day School which subsequently expanded its campus
• Welland - Seaway Mall, Converted to a new wing of the mall, which currently includes Dollarama, Bulk Barn and several other stores and services.
• Whitby - Dundas & Frances, converted first to A&P, then Food Basics, now Giant Tiger.
• Whitby - Whitby Mall. Closed in 1996, now Office Depot
• Windsor - Devonshire Mall, converted to A&P, now Chapters.
• Windsor - University Plaza, converted to A&P, now Metro.

See also

• List of supermarket chains in Canada

References