Loblaws expansion in 2026 puts 70 new stores across the country with a $2.4 billion price tag, and the headline is discount grocery. But if you're in a major Canadian city, this announcement probably lands somewhere between irrelevant and mildly interesting. The No Frills locations going in are aimed at smaller and medium sized cities that don't have discount grocery options today.

 

The franchise model means Loblaws is not the one taking the financial risk on most of these stores. Franchisees are. And the new locations are likely filling space left behind by retail closures, which means Loblaws is probably getting favorable lease rates that make the math work. Shoppers Drug Mart gets the other 35 stores, leaning into one-stop shopping for a loyalty program that already counts 16 million PC Optimum members. Bricks and mortar retail still represents more than 90% of Canadian retail spending, so physical expansion still moves the needle.

 

The economy is challenging for a lot of Canadians right now. It is not challenging for everyone, and the people with cash ready to open a No Frills franchise are about to find out if smaller city grocery is a good bet.

 

Topics: Loblaws expansion 2026, No Frills franchise Canada, discount grocery Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart growth, Canadian grocery prices

 

GUEST: Marvin Ryder | Associate Professor of Marketing, McMaster University


Originally aired on 2026-02-24

Loblaws expansion in 2026 puts 70 new stores across the country with a $2.4 billion price tag, and the headline is discount grocery. But if you're in a major Canadian city, this announcement probably lands somewhere between irrelevant and mildly interesting. The No Frills locations going in are aimed at smaller and medium sized cities that don't have discount grocery options today.
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The franchise model means Loblaws is not the one taking the financial risk on most of these stores. Franchisees are. And the new locations are likely filling space left behind by retail closures, which means Loblaws is probably getting favorable lease rates that make the math work. Shoppers Drug Mart gets the other 35 stores, leaning into one-stop shopping for a loyalty program that already counts 16 million PC Optimum members. Bricks and mortar retail still represents more than 90% of Canadian retail spending, so physical expansion still moves the needle.
&nbsp;
The economy is challenging for a lot of Canadians right now. It is not challenging for everyone, and the people with cash ready to open a No Frills franchise are about to find out if smaller city grocery is a good bet.
&nbsp;
Topics: Loblaws expansion 2026, No Frills franchise Canada, discount grocery Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart growth, Canadian grocery prices
&nbsp;
GUEST: Marvin Ryder | Associate Professor of Marketing, McMaster University
 Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-02-24

Shane Hewitt & The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world—always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.

From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane’s signature style—thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.

If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt &amp; The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world&mdash;always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.
From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane&rsquo;s signature style&mdash;thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.
If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

SHIFTHEADS: More Grocery Store News is Real. Are Cheaper Grocery Prices Real too?

Jeremy Hansen astronaut story starts on a farm outside London, Ontario. He found circuit breakers in the barn and used them as switches in his treehouse. He called it a spaceship. He explored space in his imagination until he was old enough to do it for real. He is currently in orbit and NASA put his story on the record this week alongside the rest of the Artemis 2 crew.

What does it feel like to hear an astronaut sound nothing like the clipped alpha mission leader you assumed astronauts sounded like? Jeremy Hansen talks about doubt, about other people lifting him up, about the realization that you do not go to the moon alone any more than you could do it in a treehouse as a kid. Christina Koch loved being outside, loved feeling small, loved the vastness of mountains and oceans and the night sky through pine branches. These are giant nerds and they sat there and dreamed it into being.

Throwback Thursday is 1969 and Apollo 11 tonight. The connection between a farm kid with a treehouse and the moment 56 years ago when humanity first went to the moon is direct and it is real.

Topics: Jeremy Hansen astronaut story, Artemis 2 crew NASA, 1969 Apollo 11 throwback, Christina Koch mission specialist, Canadian Space Agency

RUNDOWN: NASA's Artemis 2 crew stories land for Throwback Thursday with Jeremy Hansen on a treehouse spaceship in rural Ontario and Christina Koch on mountains and oceans and feeling small, before the show turns back to 1969 and what connects Apollo 11 to the crew currently orbiting Earth.

Originally aired on 2026-04-02

Jeremy Hansen astronaut story starts on a farm outside London, Ontario. He found circuit breakers in the barn and used them as switches in his treehouse. He called it a spaceship. He explored space in his imagination until he was old enough to do it for real. He is currently in orbit and NASA put his story on the record this week alongside the rest of the Artemis 2 crew.
What does it feel like to hear an astronaut sound nothing like the clipped alpha mission leader you assumed astronauts sounded like? Jeremy Hansen talks about doubt, about other people lifting him up, about the realization that you do not go to the moon alone any more than you could do it in a treehouse as a kid. Christina Koch loved being outside, loved feeling small, loved the vastness of mountains and oceans and the night sky through pine branches. These are giant nerds and they sat there and dreamed it into being.
Throwback Thursday is 1969 and Apollo 11 tonight. The connection between a farm kid with a treehouse and the moment 56 years ago when humanity first went to the moon is direct and it is real.
Topics: Jeremy Hansen astronaut story, Artemis 2 crew NASA, 1969 Apollo 11 throwback, Christina Koch mission specialist, Canadian Space Agency
RUNDOWN: NASA's Artemis 2 crew stories land for Throwback Thursday with Jeremy Hansen on a treehouse spaceship in rural Ontario and Christina Koch on mountains and oceans and feeling small, before the show turns back to 1969 and what connects Apollo 11 to the crew currently orbiting Earth.
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-02

SHIFTHEADS - He Turned His Treehouse Into a Spaceship. He Is Currently in Space

Artemis 2 mission update arrives from an astronomer who did not sleep well the night of the launch. The spacecraft launched April 1st, troubleshot a toilet light on April Fools Day as its first legitimate problem in orbit, and then pilot Victor Glover manually flew the most sensitive spacecraft he has ever touched while the people on the ground held their breath.

What is it like to be approximately 406,000 kilometres from Earth, further than any human since Apollo 13 was forced to come home? That gap is roughly 6,000 kilometres, or about 100 trips between Vancouver and Toronto. The crew will see the dark side of the moon with human eyes for the first time. Photographs from satellites have covered it. Eyes have not.

This is a test drive. That is the whole point. The life support, the manual controls, the course corrections, all of it feeds into Artemis 3, which Elaina Hyde says is currently targeting 2028 for an actual landing. Catnaps of four hours. CubeSats deployed. A very full schedule for 10 days.

Topics: Artemis 2 mission update, farthest humans Earth record, Apollo 13 distance comparison, dark side moon human eyes, Artemis 3 2028 landing

GUEST: Elaina Hyde, Allen I. Carswell Observatory

Originally aired on 2026-04-02

Artemis 2 mission update arrives from an astronomer who did not sleep well the night of the launch. The spacecraft launched April 1st, troubleshot a toilet light on April Fools Day as its first legitimate problem in orbit, and then pilot Victor Glover manually flew the most sensitive spacecraft he has ever touched while the people on the ground held their breath.
What is it like to be approximately 406,000 kilometres from Earth, further than any human since Apollo 13 was forced to come home? That gap is roughly 6,000 kilometres, or about 100 trips between Vancouver and Toronto. The crew will see the dark side of the moon with human eyes for the first time. Photographs from satellites have covered it. Eyes have not.
This is a test drive. That is the whole point. The life support, the manual controls, the course corrections, all of it feeds into Artemis 3, which Elaina Hyde says is currently targeting 2028 for an actual landing. Catnaps of four hours. CubeSats deployed. A very full schedule for 10 days.
Topics: Artemis 2 mission update, farthest humans Earth record, Apollo 13 distance comparison, dark side moon human eyes, Artemis 3 2028 landing
GUEST: Elaina Hyde, Allen I. Carswell Observatory
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-02

NEW - Farthest Humans from Earth in History. By About 6,000 Kilometres

Not-for-profit grocery stores are coming to Toronto and the NDP wants 50 of them across the country. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois was in a university classroom 15 years ago when a student suggested nationalizing food distribution and the whole room laughed. He is not laughing now. He is asking whether anyone has looked at the numbers.

What does it mean to promise 40 percent savings when grocery store margins run at three to four percent and the cost of goods is 70 to 75 cents of every dollar before anyone has paid rent or staff? Dr. Sylvain Charlebois says unless someone is giving away the food, that math does not resolve. The not-for-profit stores in Toronto will still be buying from the same wholesale sources as every other grocer. The advantage disappears before the doors open.

There is a version of this that makes sense. Food deserts where the private sector will not go. The North, where Ottawa has consistently failed to make food affordable and accessible. Twenty to twenty-five stores serving communities that need them. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois says that is a purpose. We just have not heard it yet.

Topics: not-for-profit grocery store Canada, Toronto grocery store feasibility, NDP federal grocery chain, food desert grocery access, co-op grocery Canada

GUEST: Dr. Sylvain Charlebois | @‌foodprofessor

Originally aired on 2026-04-02

Not-for-profit grocery stores are coming to Toronto and the NDP wants 50 of them across the country. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois was in a university classroom 15 years ago when a student suggested nationalizing food distribution and the whole room laughed. He is not laughing now. He is asking whether anyone has looked at the numbers.
What does it mean to promise 40 percent savings when grocery store margins run at three to four percent and the cost of goods is 70 to 75 cents of every dollar before anyone has paid rent or staff? Dr. Sylvain Charlebois says unless someone is giving away the food, that math does not resolve. The not-for-profit stores in Toronto will still be buying from the same wholesale sources as every other grocer. The advantage disappears before the doors open.
There is a version of this that makes sense. Food deserts where the private sector will not go. The North, where Ottawa has consistently failed to make food affordable and accessible. Twenty to twenty-five stores serving communities that need them. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois says that is a purpose. We just have not heard it yet.
Topics: not-for-profit grocery store Canada, Toronto grocery store feasibility, NDP federal grocery chain, food desert grocery access, co-op grocery Canada
GUEST: Dr. Sylvain Charlebois | @&zwnj;foodprofessor
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-04-02

SHIFTHEADS: More Grocery Store News is Real. Are Cheaper Grocery Prices Real too?

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