As of June 2025, there were grocery and convenience retailers in Canada. Micro grocery stores, which employ between and employees, were the most widespread type of grocery store in Canada. There were micro grocery and convenience retailers located across Canada at this time.
Why are there more smaller grocery stores?
One explanation for the prominence of small and micro grocery stores in Canada is the rise of convenience shopping. Time is increasingly important to consumers, and therefore, offering a quick and easy shopping experience is key to capturing customers. Sixty percent of Canadians make micro-trips to grocery stores at least once a week. A micro-trip is defined as an in-store trip lasting less than minutes. Stores must continue to optimize their size and layouts to accommodate for such shoppers.