The moment François Bouchard spots a new taste sensation, he wants to be the first to bring it to the Canadian dinner table.

"We're on it from the get-go, putting it on our shelves," says the owner of The Country Grocer, an independently operated supermarket in Ottawa's south end. "Innovation resonates with independent entrepreneurs. This is where we excel."

Bouchard, 37, represents a growing breed of leading-edge retailers - young, global-thinking and market savvy. In 1990, at the age of 23, he became the youngest franchisee to purchase a store in the former Steinberg grocery chain.

"Ours isn't a cookie-cutter business," Bouchard says. "We relentlessly push the envelope because as an independent up against national chains and mass merchandisers, we must embrace new ideas."

Photo courtesy of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers
Francois Bouchard, owner of The Country Grocer in Ottawa's south end, pushes the envelope to be the first to bring new taste sensations to the dinner table.

Anthony Longo agrees. "Since 1956, our company has continually striven to deliver on our promise to provide the freshest produce and finest grocery shopping experience possible," says the president and CEO of Longo Brothers Fruit Markets Inc., one of the largest family-owned grocery retailers in Canada.

With 14 Longo's stores in the Greater Toronto Area (the company opens a new store every two years), sporting more than 200 of its own private-label products, and with a staff of more than 2,000, Longo's prides itself on leading the retail food industry by example. It was the first grocery chain to remove tabloid magazines from checkout racks - replacing them with health, nutrition and family magazines.

Sales by independent grocers are about $27 billion annually, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG). Sales for chain supermarkets, which also include sales in the chain convenience store channel, are about $41 billion annually.

"We responded to our customers' demands for eating healthy natural foods and have introduced over 800 natural products onto our shelves," Longo says. "Unlike other retailers, Longo's integrates natural products with the regular ones so customers can make choices to fit their needs. Our goal is to have a natural alternative in every category and allow people to experiment with natural products and organic produce."

About 700 kilometres north of Toronto, Steve Rome services the Soo. At 6,700 sq. m, Rome's Independent Grocer in Sault Ste. Marie is one of the largest franchisee independents in the National Grocers program, which is affiliated with Loblaws.

Competition is ferocious in the city of 75,000, however. Within a short drive of Rome's front door there are three A&P stores, two Food Basics, a No Frills operation and a new Wal-Mart.

"We compete day-to-day with discounters," says Rome, who is also the 2005 CFIG chairman. "So we've identified niche markets and pursue them tooth and nail."

Positioning itself as a one-stop shopping destination, Rome's two-level hub has a post office, wine shop, photofinishing kiosk, coffeeshop and on the mezzanine an eatery branded as Meals To Go, with foods made onsite. "We've also expanded into general merchandise areas that tie in neatly, such as patio furnishings and barbecues," he says.

Rome believes independent grocery retailers can thrive. "More of us are finding viable niches, whether it's carrying the finest produce available or providing the best service in town. We can't be all things to all people, but we can be the best when stressing our strengths."

Along the same lines, Longo's spotlights service to further differentiate itself from juggernaut challengers. "We invest heavily in the training and development of our people," Longo says.

Steve Rome

"When someone starts with Longo's, they undergo a rigorous orientation program in each of the stores' food departments, while head-office staff and store managers are routinely sent to industry seminars and conferences to stay on top of industry trends."

Longo's was also one of the first grocery firms to recognize that time-challenged customers often don't want to cook. The company led the charge to offer prepared food counters, selling entrées, side dishes and other meal components.

Last year, Longo's plunged into the online ordering and delivery service by acquiring Grocery Gateway Inc.'s retail grocery business (founded in 1998), the leader in online food ordering and delivery service in the Greater Toronto Area.

"Longo's vision is to continue to enhance the customer experience," Longo says. "A key initiative in our strategic plan is the expansion of our business by enabling customers to shop online directly with Longo's. The acquisition of Grocery Gateway's business accelerates these plans and allows us to bring the Longo's experience right to our customers' front doors."

The unique experience model also works for Pusateri's, a Toronto landmark for fine grocery shopping.

"Our philosophy is to provide customers with foods they may have never seen or tried before," says general manager John Mastroianni. "We love products that tell a story about their country of origin. We've become a leading test-marketer for many products with international labels. That's what intrigues us and what sets us apart."

Pusateri's hits the high-end food epicure with a never-ending assortment of novel flavour experiences. It is one of the largest international distributors of caviar from the Caspian Sea, and has received numerous Retail Gourmet Food Shop awards for importation of products from around the world.

At only 750 sq. m - less than half the size of Pusateri's Avenue Road store, The Country Grocer in Ottawa may be a diminutive player in the food business, but its customer base stretches thousands of kilometres "We were the first Ottawa supermarket to offer online shopping for pickup or home delivery back in 1999," Bouchard says. "This has proven our prime growth area and today we boast more than 7,000 online customers."

Because his store is only 10 minutes from Ottawa International Airport, Bouchard pounced on another opportunity and is sending groceries to customers ranging from the United States in the south to Nunavut territory to the north.

Through a partnership with First Air Cargo and Canadian North, Bouchard can deliver an array of about 9,000 products, including fresh produce and meat to Iqaluit and to outposts further removed.

"To sell groceries, we're doing whatever it takes to make it work," Bouchard says. "For us, there's no such thing as 'It can't work.' My approach: How can we make it work? It's a challenge, but I have fun doing this every day and that's my bottom line."

(Jack Kohane can be reached at kohane@businessedge.ca)