KaleMart24 expands its “wellness meets convenience” concept
KaleMart24 is rapidly expanding its “wellness meets convenience” concept, having recently soft-launched its eighth location and aiming to have 20 stores open by autumn, spanning Montreal, Ottawa, and southwestern Ontario — including Toronto.
“In addition, we have a number of locations in the design phase,” founder and CEO Oussama (Sam) Saoudi tells CSNC. “We have 18 franchisees so far.”
The Montreal-based chain operates six locations in the Greater Montreal Area including its only two corporate stores, at the Bell Centre and Jarry Metro. The brand opened its first store at the Berri‑UQAM Metro station in March 2024, marking the start of its rapid expansion. Outside Montreal, it has two stores in the Outaouais region, in Ottawa and Gatineau. Its newest store, in Laval near Place Bell, held a soft launch on March 26 to “fine-tune the experience and gather valuable feedback from the community,” Saoudi posted on LinkedIn. He says a grand opening event is set for April 11 or 12.
In about two weeks, KaleMart24 will open a store in Griffintown, Montreal’s historic, recently revitalized neighborhood, as well as Kitchener, Ontario, bringing the total to 10 open locations. The Kitchener store will mark its first of several planned for southwestern Ontario. In St. Catharines, KaleMart24 has secured a site at the Carlisle Condos, targeted for an August 2026 opening. “It’s a new franchisee who is also the landlord,” Saoudi notes, highlighting the strategic advantage of partnering with developers in expanding the chain.
The pipeline also includes four more Montreal stores and the brand’s first Toronto location, set to open this summer. The store will include a mini organic pet section and a premium coffee and matcha offering.
He says the company is seeing strong interest from prospective Toronto area franchisees, including operators transitioning from other food retail concepts. “Yesterday, I met someone who owns six or seven Freshii locations in
Toronto. They’re thinking of winding them down because sales aren’t what they used to be and doing something else,” he tells CSNC. “They’re excited about what we’re building.”
For now, prospects need to travel to Montreal to experience a KaleMart24 firsthand, which has slowed deal-making. “Once we have a store in Toronto, it’s going to be much easier,” Saoudi says.
KaleMart24’s brand proposition—offering healthier alternatives to typical convenience store snacks along with foodservice items like matcha lattes, acai bowls, and organic coffee—is resonating with customers. Saoudi isn’t just focused on Canada. The company is now laying the groundwork for U.S. expansion, targeting major markets including the Northeast, Texas and the West Coast.
Rather than scaling slowly, KaleMart24 plans to enter with experienced, multi-unit operators capable of opening clusters of 10 to 15 stores at a time.
The move follows an analysis of the U.S. retail landscape, where Saoudi sees a clear gap between traditional convenience stores and the fast-growing demand for healthier, better-for-you options.“They have even greater density of convenience stores than in Canada, but they’re all selling the same stuff,” he says. “At the same time, the U.S. market has seen strong growth in the natural foods space, with grocers like Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market and Erewhon Market. But convenience stores aren’t really present in that category, so it’s worth exploring that market.”
KaleMart24 is finalizing plans to market the brand in the U.S. through Franchise FastLane, a consultancy headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The firm will also help the retailer navigate state-by-state franchising regulations, which Saoudi can vary quite a bit.
