Stalwart Toronto health food chain shutting down after acquisition

A go-to health food store in Toronto will have all its locations permanently closed by the end of June.

Focused mainly on supplements, personal care, and natural grocery products, Noah’s Natural Foods has been serving the community since 1981.

There was curiosity and interest when Noah’s was acquired by Goodness Me! in 2021, an established brand that was also founded in 1981 but with a presence in Barrie, Cambridge, Waterloo and Hamilton.

It was supposed to be an exciting addition to the health food market with Goodness Me! sharing in a press release that they were going to expand to include fresh certified organic produce, humanely raised meat, organic and local dairy, healthy prepared foods, as well as grab-and-go family meals.

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There was even the promise by the company of online classes to share “everything we know when it comes to healthy living” that could include webinars with international and local health experts (which Goodness Me! already offers).

But the shock came recently with regular Noah’s shoppers reporting that the shelves are disorganized or bare.

While Goodness Me! CEO Bruce Beacham had said early on that “renovating and rebranding the four stores under the Goodness Me! Natural Food Market banner [was] in the plans,” the only changes in the Goodness Me! direction appeared to be online. When looking up the locations, all of Noah’s stores were renamed Goodness Me! Natural Food Market. Visiting Noah’s website redirects visitors to the Goodness Me! Website.

blogTO reached out to Goodness Me! via various channels, eventually reaching the company’s Differentiation and Communication Manager, Lindsay McFarland, who was hesitant to share more information beyond confirming that Goodness Me! was closing all four Noah’s locations (noting that the one on Yonge and Charles Street was already no more).

The posting from May 11 from Goodness Me! announcing the closures of Noah’s stores posted on their website flyer.

It appears the business has decided not to renew the leases of the former Noah’s locations (shared in a flyer posting online), and effective of the announcement that the Goodness Me! Toronto Loyalty Program was terminated.

The staggered closure of the remaining Noah’s locations is now posted online, with McFarland only commenting that Goodness Me! was focusing on its existing locations outside of downtown Toronto.

It looks like another chapter of one of Toronto’s stalwart businesses has ended, but at least there are other options for health food needs.