Food World Plus opens Ontario's largest grocery store in Mississauga

MISSISSAUGA · Food World Plus opens Ontario's largest grocery store in Mississauga on Friday, Oct. 30. The multicultural supermarket spans 176,000 square feet at 50 Matheson Boulevard East. It promises to bring together everyday essentials and specialty products from Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East, East Asia and South Asia. The store is backed by JDass Corp., a Canadian investment and operations company with interests in retail, real estate and manufacturing.

"Our vision is to bring the diversity of global food markets into one 176,000-square-foot destination. We want Mississauga families to experience the convenience of shopping across cultures without visiting multiple stores," said Preet Dass, COO of JDass Corp. The store will feature a dedicated halal meat section, eggless cakes, fresh sushi, hot food options, wine and beer, gluten-free products, fresh juice and a live pasta station. Perhaps its most eye-catching feature is a 1,000-foot candy and chocolate aisle.

The new location occupies a former Highland Farms site and offers approximately 1,100 parking spaces. For scale, a typical Costco warehouse in Ontario spans about 146,000 to 150,000 square feet. Food World Plus currently operates one other location at 6628 Finch Avenue West in Etobicoke. The Mississauga store's regular hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

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The store is designed to serve Mississauga's diverse communities by offering hard-to-source international ingredients. Shoppers will find produce, meat, seafood, bakery products and prepared foods alongside the global offerings. The opening comes as grocery retail continues to evolve in Canada. A recent survey found price and product selection are major factors influencing where Canadians shop.

JDass Corp. owns Food World Plus and has operations across retail, real estate development, metals, steel manufacturing, hospitality and other industries. The company said the store aims to be a one-stop destination for multicultural shopping. The live pasta station will make fresh pasta from scratch in front of customers. The massive candy aisle has been described as a potentially dangerous place for those with a sweet tooth.

The store's opening follows a period of expansion and change in the grocery sector. The location at 50 Matheson Blvd. E. is in the Greater Toronto Area. Food World Plus invites shoppers to explore its wide selection starting this Friday.

With files from Canadian Grocer and blogTO