Metro Vancouver Food Chain Thrives Alongside Goliath

VANCOUVER — Choices Markets’ produce manager spends days each month travelling B.C.’s backroads.

“He takes his motorcycle on a farm tour and he goes up and makes deals with farmers,” Choices regional store supervisor Steve Lockhart said. “We’re the only (chain) retailer in the Lower Mainland that had B.C. asparagus this year. That’s because David Wilson went to Armstrong and we buy direct from the farm.”

The locally owned, eight-store (soon to be 10-store) grocery chain has survived 25 years of tough competition, first from big box supermarkets, then from natural foods giants such as Whole Foods. But Choices isn’t the only small local company to faceoff against well-capitalized, big-name competition and live to tell the tale.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Metro+Vancouver+food+chain+thrives+alongside+Goliath/11276522/story.html#ixzz3iiMJjw1g
 

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Vancouver Sun