Oshawa Group
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Supermarket retail |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Max Wolfe, Maurice Wolfe |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Fate | Acquired by Empire Company Limited (Sobeys) |
| Headquarters | Etobicoke, Ontario , Canada |
Area served | Canada |
Key people | Max Wolfe, Maurice Wolfe, Ray D. Wolfe, Harvey Wolfe, Raphael Wolfe, Jonathan Wolfe |
The Oshawa Group was a prominent supermarket operator based in Ontario, Canada, which was purchased by Empire Company Limited (the proprietor of Sobeys) in 1998. Headquartered in Etobicoke, the company was publicly traded on both the Toronto and Montreal stock exchanges.
History
Originally established in 1957 under the name Oshawa Wholesale Limited, the enterprise experienced considerable growth from the 1960s through the 1980s and adopted the name Oshawa Group Limited in 1971. Its roots extend back to 1914 when Max Wolfe (1893–1987) and Maurice Wolfe founded Ontario Produce Company and subsequently acquired Oshawa Wholesale in 1949, setting the stage for what became Oshawa Group.
Notable people
Leadership of the company remained within the Wolfe family throughout its history:
- Max and Maurice Wolfe – Lithuanian Jewish immigrants who founded both Ontario Produce Co. in 1914 and Oshawa Wholesalers in 1957
- Ray D. Wolfe, who served as President from the 1950s until 1976
- Harvey Wolfe, who held the position of President
- Raphael Wolfe, who acted as President, CEO, and Chair
- Jonathan Wolfe, who was the last President and COO
Retail units
Beginning in the 1960s, Oshawa Group expanded by acquiring multiple retail chains:
- Dutch Boy and Dutch Girl stores
- Rite-Way Department Store (acquired in 1966)
- IGA supermarkets (acquired in 1964)
- Bassin Food chain (acquired in 1964)
- Tradition Market Fresh Food outlets
- Knechtel stores
- Pharma Plus Drug Stores – purchased from Boots Drug Stores in 1988; later divested to Katz Group
- Kent Drugs Limited (acquired in 1968)
- Rockower of Canada Limited (acquired in 1968)
- Food City/Food Town locations, which were transitioned into Price Chopper stores
- Price Chopper discount supermarkets, subsequently rebranded as FreshCo following Sobeys' acquisition
- Towers Department Stores (acquired in 1967 as Allied Towers Merchants Limited); operations ceased in 1991 with outlets sold to Zellers
- Consumers Distributing Company Limited – partial ownership (50%) sold in 1978
- Coinamatic Laundry Equipment – majority stake (90%) sold in 1978
- Operations of Dominion Stores Limited in Nova Scotia and Safeway locations in Southern Ontario were acquired in 1985
Non-retail units
In addition to its retail ventures, Oshawa Group diversified through acquisitions and investments in real estate, including:
- Field Fresh Farms dairy operations
- Dominion Mushroom Company (purchased in 1963 and sold in 1986)
- SERCA Foodservices Incorporated
- Marchland Holdings Limited (established in 1971)
- Baxter Estates (acquired in 1975), which managed apartment complexes in Winnipeg and a shopping centre in Calgary; divested by 1978
- Systems Construction Limited, a builder specializing in modular homes
- Codville Distributors Limited (established in 1972)
- Decarie Square shopping mall located in Montreal (acquired in 1976 and sold off by 1986)
Decline
Despite focusing on its core business during the 1980s, Oshawa Group faced increasing challenges due to changing retail market conditions throughout the 1990s. This culminated with its acquisition by Sobeys in 1998, resulting in the discontinuation of the Oshawa brand within Canadian retail markets.