Why is it called 'Real Canadian Superstore' anyway?
For those of us in Western Canada, Ontario, and the Yukon, the great blue banner of Real Canadian Superstore is a familiar sight.
Canadians have a complicated relationship with the grocery chain. Its parent company, Loblaw, faced plenty of criticism during a period of dramatic food inflation. But many of us have a soft spot for No Name and its cheeky labelling, and we will certainly never turn down a President’s Choice Decadent Chocolate Chunk Cookie.
It’s safe to say, we have feelings about Superstore. But have we ever stopped to think about the name?
Why Real Canadian Superstore? What is it trying to imply? Is there a Fake Canadian Superstore we need to be worried about?
Curiosity got the better of us, and so we asked Loblaw where the name came from.
According to the company, the banner began as SuperValu, opening its first location in Saskatoon in 1979 before expanding across Western Canada.
Saskatoon Public Library (LH-8584)
Around the same time, Loblaw also had a controlling interest in National Tea, a U.S. grocery company behind National Supermarkets. South of the border, that business operated a chain of stores under the name The Real Superstore. Look familiar?
ibbyal/Reddit
In the mid-1990s, Loblaw had exited the American retail market, selling National Supermarkets to Schnucks. Many SuperValu locations rebranded as Real Canadian Superstores, and the Real Superstore banner disappeared from the U.S.
“The name reflects the evolution of the banner into a large-format, one-stop shopping destination offering customers value, convenience and a broad assortment of products under one roof,” Loblaw told Daily Hive.
“‘Real Canadian’ was chosen to emphasize the banner’s homegrown roots and Canadian identity, something that continues to resonate with customers today.”
So there you have it! Thankfully, there does not appear to be a Fake Canadian Superstore.
However, ghosts of the chain’s American past still linger in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Google Street View imagery from February 2025 shows an abandoned Real Superstore with only the word “store” remaining.
Google Street View