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NEW: Vancouver and Victoria BC

Posted: 15 Sep 2018 13:50
by Groceteria
Two new additions, both with a limited timeframe due to incomplete data from the available city directories:

Vancouver, 1925-1940: http://www.groceteria.com/place/canada- ... vancouver/

Victoria, 1925-1955: http://www.groceteria.com/place/canada- ... /victoria/

Re: NEW: Vancouver and Victoria BC

Posted: 15 Sep 2018 14:42
by Andrew T.
Great stuff, as usual.

I hoped that this data would shed some light on the question of whether Dominion ever operated in BC (giving it true coast-to-coast status), but it did not. But it did shed light on the early Canadian history and coexistence of Safeway and Piggly Wiggly, which is almost as good.

Re: NEW: Vancouver and Victoria BC

Posted: 15 Sep 2018 15:07
by Groceteria
There actually were a couple of Dominion stores in Vancouver on the sheet. Three, to be specific. one of which seems still to be standing at 1332 Kingsway.

Vancouver was, I think, Safeway's point of entry into Canada. I'm not sure if they purchased the entire Kirkhams chain or just selected stores, but I do know that one of Safeway's biggest expansions in Canada came with their purchase of the Canadian Piggly Wiggly stores in the mid-1930s. It's also interesting that they tested their Pay'n Takit format in Vancouver as well. I've never completely understood how that format differed from the main Safeway brand, though I know they acquired the name from a chain they bough out, maybe in Arizona. The brand then popped up in random places in the early 1930s but seemed to disappear pretty much everywhere by 1935.

Re: NEW: Vancouver and Victoria BC

Posted: 17 Sep 2018 19:03
by BillyGr
Groceteria wrote: 15 Sep 2018 15:07 It's also interesting that they tested their Pay'n Takit format in Vancouver as well. I've never completely understood how that format differed from the main Safeway brand, though I know they acquired the name from a chain they bought out, maybe in Arizona. The brand then popped up in random places in the early 1930s but seemed to disappear pretty much everywhere by 1935.
Being in the timeframe you mention, could it have simply been them doing (as other stores did) a store where you bought and paid for the items (many used the term Cash n Carry) without many other frills, where many other stores would have offered accounts, delivery services, gifts for collecting after so much was spent and such?

Re: NEW: Vancouver and Victoria BC

Posted: 19 Sep 2018 13:26
by Andrew T.
Groceteria wrote: 15 Sep 2018 15:07 There actually were a couple of Dominion stores in Vancouver on the sheet. Three, to be specific. one of which seems still to be standing at 1332 Kingsway.
Ah, I had overlooked those! They're easy to miss, and I don't know how long they lasted after WWII.
Groceteria wrote: 15 Sep 2018 15:07Vancouver was, I think, Safeway's point of entry into Canada. I'm not sure if they purchased the entire Kirkhams chain or just selected stores, but I do know that one of Safeway's biggest expansions in Canada came with their purchase of the Canadian Piggly Wiggly stores in the mid-1930s.
According to the lion's mouth, Safeway entered Canada through Manitoba in 1929. They would have had to expand very quickly to be in BC by 1930, so I wonder if either the official story's in error, or if there was another acquisition along the way that made such rapid growth possible.