Second grocery store opens in Tisdale

Dan Bregg, the president of Buy-Low, felt joy as he snipped the ribbon to open his chain’s new grocery store in Tisdale.

He said at the Dec. 1 grand opening that his company’s desire to expand combined with his familiarity with Saskatchewan was part of the reason why they established their first store in the province in Tisdale.

“I’ve got family roots in Saskatchewan. My grandfather homestead in the Carrot River-Nipawin area, so I’ve been back lots of times over the years, visiting family.”

The Town of Tisdale’s proactiveness sealed the deal. Sean Wallace, the town’s economic development officer, sent the company a proposal to locate in the town March 2015.

“When I got the call from Sean, who wanted me to have a look at Tisdale, I just knew we had to be here,” Bregg said. “It’s a wonderful warm community and I thought we could do a wonderful job with our first store in Saskatchewan.”

When Al Jellicoe, Tisdale’s mayor,  snipped the ribbon to the 25,000 square foot store, he said he was thinking of how long the process to get Buy-Low to come to his town was and was pleased it was done.

To have a second grocery store in Tisdale has been a common dream of Tisdale residents ever since Extra Foods closed.

The store will provide around 55 jobs. As the store is still working on the final details, it doesn’t have a final tally yet.

“It’ll get people to stop in coming through,” Jellicoe said. “We have been losing a few customers to Melfort, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, wherever, so I’m sure they’ll stay in town now that we have a choice.”

Bregg said he believes people should shop at his store because they provide great value and customer service.

“We’re a people-first organization. Our commitment is not just to the people that we serve but to the people that work with us and I think that becomes infectious,” he said. “People like to shop where they get a smile and somebody cares about their business.”