The history of Miracle Food Mart supermarkets in Ontario

Before Ontario's grocery landscape was dominated by names like Loblaws, Metro, No Frills, and Food Basics, shoppers across the province had another familiar place to pick up their weekly groceries, and its name might ring a bell.

Miracle Food Mart was a discount supermarket chain in Ontario that was owned by Quebec-based retailer Steinberg's and predominantly operated throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

The chain was introduced as the retailer expanded into the discount grocery format, and placed an emphasis on low, affordable prices for everyday grocery needs.

To tell the whole story, we need to go all the way back to 1959, when Steinberg acquired the 38 Canadian stores of the U.S. based Grand Union Company, which officially marked the retailer's entry into the Ontario market.

Photo: Old Ontario Series.

Soon after, on July 29, 1959, Steinberg opened its first Toronto supermarket at the northwest corner of Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West (the site now hosts a Metro supermarket).

A decade later, in 1969, Steinberg rebranded its Ontario grocery stores under the Miracle Food Mart banner, which quickly became a familiar sight across the province. A spokesperson for the retailer told the Globe and Mail at the time that the switch was a "direct response to the needs of the majority of today's food consumers and the problems they face in meeting the rising cost of living."

Photo: Old Ontario Series.

The "Miracle" name was actually already familiar to many before Miracle Food Mart officially arrived, as Steinberg had launched "Miracle Mart" years earlier in 1961. The discount department store sold everything from affordable clothing to toys and appliances, and the company later expanded the brand into groceries.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the chain continued to boom in popularity and steadily increased its presence across the GTA, with 72 stores in operation by the end of 1986.

Despite its success, the 1980s were also a time of significant troubles for the chain. In 1982, the chain faced constant labour challenges, a near-strike that involved 5,000 workers, and competition from rivals like Loblaws.

Photo: Old Ontario Series.

In an effort to keep up, Steinberg invested $30 million in 1987 to upgrade several Miracle Food Mart locations into larger, 24-hour "Miracle Ultra-Marts" that also offered hardware and electronics.

Just two years later, succumbing to its financial difficulties, Steinberg placed its Miracle food Mark division up for sale.

A year later, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) acquired 69 Miracle Food Marts in the GTA on Oct. 22, 1990, for just shy of $200 million. Under the ownership of A&P, Miracle stores were converted to other banners, including Dominion and Food Basics.

Photo: Old Ontario Series.

The chain's later years were marked by major labour disputes, including in 1993, when approximately 6,500 workers at 63 Miracle Food Mart and Ultra Food Mart locations across the province went on strike.

The 14-week strike, which lasted in February 1994 and was one of the longest in the country's retail history, focused on proposed wage cuts, changes to benefits, and concerns over job security.

By 1998, A&P discontinued the Miracle Food Mart banner altogether, either closing locations or converting them into other stores like Food Basics.

Do you have any memories of Miracle Food Mart?