Urban Fare

Urban Fare is an upscale supermarket banner operated by the Overwaitea Food Group, which is owned by the Vancouver-based Jim Pattison Group. The chain was created for urban customers seeking a more premium grocery experience than a conventional full-service supermarket. Its assortment emphasizes gourmet foods, organic products, imported goods, fresh prepared meals and other higher-end or specialty items. The stores are designed to function not only as grocery retailers but also as convenient food destinations, with many locations incorporating coffee bars, restaurants, florists, pharmacies and ready-to-eat “grab and go” selections. The first Urban Fare opened in 1999 in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighbourhood, at the base of a newly developed luxury condominium project. The location helped establish the banner’s urban and affluent positioning, placing a specialty-oriented supermarket within a dense residential district rather than in a conventional suburban shopping centre. A store in Edmonton’s Crestwood neighbourhood opened soon afterward, but it later closed when its lease expired. The banner subsequently concentrated its presence in British Columbia. Urban Fare expanded within Vancouver during the 2000s. A Coal Harbour store opened in 2007, followed by a location in the Living Shangri-La tower in downtown Vancouver in 2008. In 2012, the chain added an Express Urban Fare in Vancouver’s Olympic Village complex. The smaller format was intended to serve a dense, walkable neighbourhood and was approximately half the size of the chain’s larger stores. That same year, Urban Fare opened its first location outside Vancouver in Kelowna, converting a former Cooper’s Foods store. The brand’s premium image was reinforced by publicity surrounding unusually expensive specialty products. One frequently reported example was an imported Poilâne loaf priced at $100. The episode reflected both the chain’s willingness to carry luxury and imported products and the attention that its high-end assortment could attract. Urban Fare is part of the More Rewards loyalty-card program, which is also used by other banners in the Overwaitea Food Group network, including Save-On-Foods. This relationship connects the specialist banner to a broader Canadian grocery operating platform while allowing Urban Fare to maintain a distinct upscale identity. The chain later expanded into Alberta again with a Calgary location in 2019. Its store portfolio subsequently changed: in 2025, the Olympic Village location was rebranded as a Save-On-Foods. Reference material identifies the remaining Urban Fare presence as concentrated in British Columbia, including Vancouver and Kelowna, although published location counts and listings are not fully consistent. Urban Fare therefore remains an active but relatively small regional supermarket banner whose differentiation rests on premium grocery selection, prepared food, urban convenience and integration with the wider Overwaitea Food Group network.

Urban Fare was introduced in 1999 by the Overwaitea Food Group as an upscale supermarket concept aimed at urban and affluent consumers. Its first store opened in Vancouver's Yaletown neighbourhood, occupying space at the base of a new luxury condominium development. The location established several characteristics that became associated with the banner: a dense urban setting, a premium-oriented assortment and a format intended to combine everyday grocery shopping with food discovery and convenience. The chain briefly extended beyond British Columbia when an Edmonton store opened in the Crestwood neighbourhood. That location later closed after its lease expired, and Urban Fare's subsequent expansion focused mainly on British Columbia. In Vancouver, the company opened a Coal Harbour store in 2007 and a downtown location in the Living Shangri-La tower in 2008. These sites reinforced the brand's association with high-income residential and mixed-use developments. In 2012, Urban Fare pursued two different forms of expansion. The company opened an Express Urban Fare in Vancouver's Olympic Village complex. At approximately half the size of its conventional stores, the format was designed for a compact, walkable community and emphasized convenience within a smaller footprint. In the same year, the chain entered Kelowna by converting a former Cooper's Foods store. This became the first Urban Fare location outside Vancouver and demonstrated the possibility of adapting an existing supermarket site to the premium banner. Urban Fare's retail proposition extends beyond packaged groceries. Its stores are described as emphasizing high-end, gourmet, organic and imported foods, while many locations also provide restaurants, coffee bars, florists, pharmacies and prepackaged grab-and-go meals. These services support a more experiential and convenience-led model than a basic supermarket. The chain is also connected to the More Rewards loyalty program, linking it with other Overwaitea Food Group banners such as Save-On-Foods. The brand received attention for the prices of some of its luxury and imported products, including a reported $100 loaf of Poilâne bread. Such examples became part of the public perception of Urban Fare as a retailer willing to stock rare or premium goods, even when those products were priced well above ordinary grocery alternatives. Urban Fare expanded into Calgary in 2019 with an uptown location. Its later store network changed when the Olympic Village site was rebranded as Save-On-Foods in 2025. Reference material describes the remaining chain as concentrated in British Columbia, with locations associated with Vancouver and Kelowna, though the reported number of operating stores varies across published material. Urban Fare remains a specialized regional banner within the Jim Pattison Group's grocery portfolio.

• 2025

  Olympic Village store changes banner

  [1]Urban Fareen.wikipedia.org

  The Olympic Village Urban Fare location is rebranded as Save-On-Foods.

• 2019

  Calgary expansion

  [1]Urban Fareen.wikipedia.org

  Urban Fare opens an uptown Calgary location.

• 2012

  Express format and Kelowna expansion

  [1]Urban Fareen.wikipedia.org

  The chain opens an Express Urban Fare in Olympic Village and its first store outside Vancouver in Kelowna.

• 2008

  Living Shangri-La store opens

  [1]Urban Fareen.wikipedia.org

  A third Vancouver location opens in the Living Shangri-La tower in downtown Vancouver.

• 2007

  Coal Harbour expansion

  [1]Urban Fareen.wikipedia.org

  Urban Fare opens a second Vancouver store in Coal Harbour.

• 1999

  First Urban Fare opens in Yaletown

  [1]Urban Fareen.wikipedia.org

  The first store opens in Vancouver's Yaletown neighbourhood, launching the upscale urban supermarket concept.

An urban, upscale and convenience-oriented supermarket offering gourmet, organic, imported and prepared foods, supported by café, restaurant and selected ancillary services.

• Grocery retail · 1999

  Gourmet and specialty groceries

  Urban Fare's core assortment is positioned above conventional supermarket offerings, with specialty pantry products, premium ingredients and gourmet foods intended for customers seeking greater variety and higher-end options.

• Grocery retail · 1999

  Organic and imported foods

  The banner emphasizes organic products and foods sourced from outside Canada. Its imported and luxury-oriented assortment is an important part of its differentiation and premium retail image.

• Prepared foods · 1999

  Prepared and grab-and-go meals

  Many Urban Fare stores offer prepackaged ready-to-eat meals and other grab-and-go items for urban customers who want a convenient alternative to cooking or a traditional restaurant visit.

• Foodservice · 1999

  In-store restaurant and coffee-bar services

  Most locations include foodservice elements such as an in-store restaurant or coffee bar, extending the stores' role from grocery shopping into casual dining and everyday urban refreshment.

• Retail format · 2012

  Express Urban Fare format

  The Express Urban Fare concept was a smaller-format store introduced for Vancouver's Olympic Village. It occupied roughly half the space of the chain's larger stores and was designed around the needs of a dense residential community.

• 2025

  Olympic Village location rebranded as Save-On-FoodsStrategy

  Background

  The Overwaitea Food Group changed the banner at the Olympic Village site within its wider grocery network.

  Action taken

  The Urban Fare location was converted to the Save-On-Foods banner.

  Aftermath

  The change reduced the number of stores operating under the Urban Fare name and increased the presence of the group's larger mainstream banner at that site.

  Source

• 2012

  Introduction of the Express Urban Fare formatStrategy

  Background

  Urban Fare sought to serve the compact, walkable residential environment of Vancouver's Olympic Village.

  Action taken

  The company opened a smaller store described as an Express Urban Fare, approximately half the size of most of its other locations.

  Aftermath

  The format operated under the Urban Fare banner until the Olympic Village store was rebranded as Save-On-Foods in 2025.

  Source

1. 1Urban Fareen.wikipedia.org