This is a list of all chain grocery locations my research has uncovered in St. John’s between 1960 and 2000, compiled from city directories, telephone books, and other sources. There may be some omissions due to incomplete or missing data, etc. and I welcome suggestions and corrections. Please read about my methodology for more information about what I do and do not include.
View and download a copy of this location spreadsheet via Google Sheets.
Notes:
- Dominion Stores began as Ayre’s stores and were purchased by Dominion in 1963. They returned to independent ownership in 1987 and were purchased by Loblaws in 1995. Loblaws continues to use the Dominion brand.
- Apparently, the Save-Easy brand was used on some stores in the 2000s.
- I hope to add pre-1960 locations if I can find data.
Store tags:
- Dominion (Ayre’s/Loblaws)
- The General/Stop & Shop
- Noseworthy’s
- O’Keefe’s
- Parsons
- Sobeys
Updated on 23 April 2025
Eugene
February 24, 2025 at 11:36pmJust came across a photo of J.J. Duff’s Supermarket on the corner of Freshwater and Empire Avenues. Pretty sure it’s the same location as Shoppers Drug Mart occupies now and the City Consumers Co-op occupied. According to this article Duff’s was there from 1956-72, thought you might want to fill in that gap. Link here and included below (I don’t have one): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/neighbourhood-grocery-store-gabby-peyton-1.6691934