Food Basics opens in Bolton

Food Basics opened their doors on June 25. We asked store manager, Bernie Gallo to tell us about the store and why they located in Bolton.

Tell us about your business. 

Food Basics is the discount grocery banner of Metro Ontario. We’re committed to three main principles: Always Fresh, Always in Stock and Always at Great Prices. We have been helping customers save money on their grocery needs since 1995. Bolton will be our 138^th location in Ontario.

We're so happy to open our doors to the Bolton community. Our new store is close to 30,000 square feet and employ approximately 100 people. Customers can look forward to organic produce, Ontario Lottery and Gaming, and a wide array of high-quality, budget friendly Irresistibles and Selection products.

Check out the Grand Opening video 

What safety measures have you put in place to ensure staff and customers are safe?

We are taking all the necessary steps to keep staff, customers and the entire Caledon community safe and healthy. The store will be sanitized regularly according to the strictest hygiene standards, including increased frequency of equipment cleaning, especially in high-traffic areas. In addition, employees are screened with a health checklist before they are allowed to work, plexiglass shields have been installed at all checkout lanes and floor stickers have been affixed to help customers respect the two-metre rule, and baskets and shopping carts are regularly wiped down before new customer use.

Why did you get into this type of business? 

I started in the grocery business when I was 16 doing part-time work. I officially joined Food Basics in 2004, where I started as a grocery manager and eventually worked my way up to store manager. In fact, the Bolton location is actually the fourth Food Basics store I will have opened as store manager.

One of the best parts of my job is training new employees and developing them into future leaders for the business. I can see my 16-year-old self in a lot of the new employees, so I like to take special care in developing their skills. Because of this, I’m very proud of the strong relationships I’ve built with employees, which has extended to our customers in every community I’ve worked in. I’m looking forward to getting to know our Bolton shoppers just as well!

Why do you think this business will be successful in Bolton? 

We believe that Bolton’s vibrant downtown and strong agricultural roots made it the perfect place to open the first Food Basics in the Caledon area. We’re a community focused grocer, and we’re always looking for new communities to expand into. We recognize the role it plays in the lives of our customers and want to see communities like Bolton thrive. We’re excited for Bolton residents to get to know us as a discount grocer that is a reliable source for fresh, always in-stock, healthy food at great prices.

As part of our commitment to this community, we’ve donated $2,000 to The Exchange, part of Caledon Community Services, which offers residents of Caledon reliable food support through access to nutritious food and community programs.

Food Basics is located at 301 Queen Street South in Bolton | foodbasics.ca