Thrifty Foods (often shortened to Thrifty's) is a chain of

supermarkets A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more limit ...

located in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada.

Background

Thrifty Foods was founded by Alex Campbell and Ernie Skinner in 1977 when the first store was opened in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

's Fairfield neighbourhood. , the chain operates 25 stores, with 2 more under construction on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

and the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Canadia ...

. It is the largest supermarket chain on Vancouver Island. In 2007 it became a division of

Sobeys Sobeys Inc. is the second largest supermarket chain in Canada, with over 1,500 stores operating across Canada under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales o ...

which operated independently of the larger company initially, before being fully integrated. Since 2004, it has operated an on-line grocery service on Vancouver Island. The online ordering system extends into the Metro Vancouver area. The company has an annual scholarship program that gives out $1500 to 20 students that are part of the company's web, either directly or indirectly. Thrifty Foods is the largest private employer on Vancouver Island. In 1999, Thrifty Foods was voted among the Ten Best Companies to Work For in British Columbia. In 2007, Thrifty Foods was recognized as one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies.Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies
/ref> On April 14, 2014, Overwaitea Food Group took over three Thrifty Foods locations including Brooks Landing in Nanaimo, Abbotsford, and Sapperton at New Westminster via an acquisition to ensure that Sobeys does not become a monopoly in the region after acquiring Thrifty Foods rival

Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...

References

Online grocers Online retailers of Canada Sobeys Supermarkets of Canada Retail companies established in 1977 Food and drink companies based in British Columbia Saanich Peninsula 1977 establishments in British Columbia 2007 mergers and acquisitions {{retail-company-stub