Save-On-Foods facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Save-On-Foods

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Supermarket
Founded	1982; 43 years ago (1982) British Columbia
Headquarters	Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Number of locations	177 Stores
Key people	Jim Pattison
Products	Grocery, General Merchandise, Pharmacy, Personal Care, Wine (Select Stores)
Brands	Western Family Only Goodness
Revenue	$1 billion
Owner	Jim Pattison Group
Number of employees	21,842 (2021)
Parent	Pattison Food Group

Fresh produce and prepared foods at a Save-On-Foods store.

Inside a Save-On-Foods store, showing the aisles.

Online shopping order pick-up fridges at a Save-On-Foods store.

Save-On-Foods is a large chain of supermarkets found across Western Canada. It is owned by the Pattison Food Group.

These stores sell many different kinds of products. You can find well-known brands and also their own special brands. These special brands are called private label brands, like Western Family and Only Goodness. Many Save-On-Foods stores have a pharmacy where you can get medicines. Some locations also offer other helpful services, like nutrition advice or health clinics. You might even find a Starbucks or Tim Hortons inside some stores!

How Save-On-Foods Started

The Save-On-Foods name began in British Columbia in 1982. It was started by a company called Overwaitea Foods. Overwaitea Foods had been around since 1915.

A famous Canadian businessman named Jimmy Pattison bought Overwaitea in 1968. Over time, most of the Overwaitea stores slowly changed their name to Save-On-Foods. The very last two Overwaitea stores became Save-On-Foods in 2018.

Growing Across Canada

The first Save-On-Foods store in Alberta opened in 1990 in Edmonton. In 1992, the company started a loyalty program for shoppers. It was first called the Save-On-More card, but later changed to More Rewards. This card helps customers save money and earn points.

Save-On-Foods is also well-known for the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre arena in Victoria, British Columbia. The Jim Pattison Group paid for the arena to use the Save-On-Foods name for 10 years.

In 2014, Save-On-Foods took over 14 stores on Vancouver Island. These stores were mostly Safeway and Thrifty Foods locations. They also changed 11 of their own PriceSmart Foods stores into Save-On-Foods.

Expanding to New Provinces

Before 2015, Save-On-Foods only had stores in British Columbia and Alberta. But in July 2015, they announced big plans! They wanted to open up to 40 new stores in Manitoba and Saskatchewan over the next few years. The first new stores in these provinces opened in 2016.

In March 2016, Save-On-Foods shared even more exciting news. They planned to open a store in Whitehorse, Yukon in 2017. This meant they would be expanding into northern Canada! For a short time, from 2017 to 2019, Save-On-Foods also sold products from the UK grocery chain Tesco.

Where to Find Save-On-Foods Stores

Today, Save-On-Foods has 177 stores. You can find them in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Yukon.

Alberta Locations

There are 45 Save-On-Foods stores in Alberta:

British Columbia Locations

There are 115 Save-On-Foods stores in British Columbia:

Manitoba Locations

There are 5 Save-On-Foods stores in Manitoba:

Saskatchewan Locations

There are 7 Save-On-Foods stores in Saskatchewan:

Yukon Location

There is 1 Save-On-Foods store in the Yukon:

See also

• List of supermarket chains in Canada
• Urban Fare