Longo's unveils "convenience-based" store concept

In its continued effort to cater to office crowds and commuters,
Longo’s opened its doors Monday to a “small-scale, convenience-based grocery store” it’s calling Pronto Eats.

Located in Toronto’s underground PATH system at Hudson’s Bay Centre at Yonge and Bloor just steps away from the subway, the store will offer ready-to-eat and semi-prepared meal options as well as roasted coffee and handcrafted espresso-based beverages.

“For those who work inside or nearby, the PATH is a place where time, quality, and convenience intersect, and this is at the core of what Pronto Eats plans to deliver,” said Longo’s spokesperson Rosanne Longo in a press release announcing the store opening.

Grocery Gateway same-day pickup will be available at the store, and customers can also pick and pay for items through the Ritual food-ordering app. The store will not offer single-use plastic bags, but according to the press release, will offer “multiple reusable solutions.”

At 1,000 sq. ft., Pronto Eats is considerably smaller than a regular Longo’s (35,000 sq. ft.) and also smaller than its urban concept store, The Market by Longo’s, which is typically between 5,500 and 7,000 sq. ft. and sells staples such as fresh produce and meat. (There is a street-level The Market by Longo’s within the same city block as Pronto Eats.)

It has been a busy summer for Longo’s, which opened a 40,000-sq.-ft. store at Toronto’s Yonge Sheppard Centre Aug. 1.

The Toronto-area chain plans to open two more stores this fall–one in the city’s Liberty Village and one in East Gwillimbury, just north of Newmarket.

Originally published at Canadian Grocer.