One of Canada’s largest grocery chains, with more than 1,500 stores across the country was founded in 1907 by John William Sobey in Nova Scotia. The company began as a small meat delivery business but expanded into groceries in 1924.
By 1939, Sobeys had 6 locations and opened their first modern supermarket 8 years later. Frank Sobey, son of founder William, originally purchased Empire Company Limited in order to secure a plot of land, but later transformed the business into the family’s private holding company. Throughout the 50s and 60s, Frank’s sons, Bill, David and Donald joined Empire Co. and took active leadership roles in the early 70s. In 1987 Sobeys’ sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time. Sobeys expanded outside of Atlantic Canada later the same year. The company’s 1998 acquisition of grocery supplier, The Oshawa Group, saw the business triple in size. In 2007, the Empire Company took the Sobeys chain private after 100 years of operation.
Today, Empire Company Limited operates popular consumer subsidiaries that include Sobeys, Safeway, Farmboy, FreshCo, and Foodland.
- Family name: Sobey family
- Sector: Consumer Products & Retail
- Founded: 1907
- Founder: John William Sobey
- Country: Canada
- Company headquarters: Canada
- Revenue: 17.2
- Employees: 65,000
- Website: empireco.ca
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