Zehrs Markets, or simply Zehrs, is a chain of grocery stores in southern Ontario, Canada. The chain consists of 43 locations and is a part of Loblaw Companies Limited. The first store was established by Emory Zehr and his sons in Kitchener in 1950. Until 1995, the store's logo was a red or orange square, with two small lines to make it a boldened stylized "Z".
Zehrs stores have been known in Ontario by three distinct names: Zehrs Markets, Zehrs Food Plus and Zehrs Greatfood (similar to the new Loblaw Greatfood locations opened in the Greater Toronto Area). In 2010, Zehrs unveiled a new logo and store design, renovating several stores to the new format. The new stores are known as Zehrs Markets, as opposed to the new Zehrs Greatfood format that had been opened only a couple of years before. A Kingsville location was recently changed from a Greatfood to a Zehrs Markets. The business entity is known as Zehrmart Ltd, which is operated by its parent company, Loblaw Companies Limited. Zehrs employees are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1977 as well as the UFCW Local 175/633, the collective agreement is in effect until July 1, 2010.
Zehrs operates stores in large cities and small towns throughout southern Ontario. Locations stretch from Kingsville in the south to Orillia in the north, and from Windsor in the west to Niagara Falls in the east and northeast to Uxbridge.
As a "one-stop" shop, Zehrs stores contain traditional departments such as fresh bakery, meat and produce, and newer non-traditional departments such as optical stores, wine shops President's Choice Financial banking kiosks, clothing and electronics departments.
The administrative portion of this banner is located in Brampton, Ontario, under the leadership of Banner Vice President Derrick Pittman. Zehrs Markets regions are divided into four areas, numbered from 1-4. Every department in the store has its own specialist for its district, and further expansion into areas of marketing and merchandising are being utilized most recently.
In March 2005, Zehrmart Ltd and Fortinos Grocery Stores (both under the Loblaw umbrella) merged operations and now run as one unit. In September 2005, all Ontario operations of Loblaw Companies Limited and the banners began moving into the newly-constructed office at 1 President's Choice Circle, Brampton, Ontario.
As with other Loblaw stores, Zehrs is noted for carrying President's Choice products.
Famous quotes containing the word markets:
“A free-enterprise economy depends only on markets, and according to the most advanced mathematical macroeconomic theory, markets depend only on moods: specifically, the mood of the men in the pinstripes, also known as the Boys on the Street. When the Boys are in a good mood, the market thrives; when they get scared or sullen, it is time for each one of us to look into the retail apple business.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)