Discount grocery store ready to open in Burlington

An old-time grocery chain is bringing a new format to Burlington.

No Frills is set to open this week in the Appleby Line and Dundas Street area.

The store will be located in the plaza on the northeast corner of the location near the Marshalls and Shoppers Drug Mart.

A sign on the store’s window says it will open this Thursday, Sept. 19.

This location appears to be a mini-store, according to initial reports, one that parent company Loblaw has been rolling out at various spots in Ontario.

First launched in Toronto in 1978 as a discount food store, No Frills now has 283 locations across the country and continues to promote itself as a grocer that offers cheap prices by providing — as the name implies — no frills to keep the cost down.

The strategy behind the mini-store is to have more shops in more spaces and to reach neighbourhoods without occupying the larger box buildings. The mini-store is about one-third the size of a traditional No Frills.

Loblaws has said the new format still carries most of the traditional grocery store products but with less shelf space for each item. As well, the mini-stores also cater to the shopping habits of the neighbourhood they serve such as ready-to-eat items when located near factories or office buildings.

The area is also served by two large grocery stores, Walmart Supercentre and Fortinos.