New No Frills opening in busy Toronto neighbourhood

Shoppers looking for more affordable grocery options are eagerly anticipating the opening of a second No Frills in Old Toronto.

Recently, social media users have begun sharing pictures of the new grocery store, which is set to open soon on the ground floor of 75 The Esplanade, a large building located at the intersection of The Esplanade and Church Street.

The No Frills will actually be the second in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, as Rocco’s No Frills is located about 12 minutes away (by foot) on Front Street.

While it might seem odd to have two identical grocers so close together, residents on Reddit and Facebook say a second option is sorely needed for shoppers with tighter budgets who prefer to avoid more expensive stores, such as the nearby Metro and Rabba.

Social media users also say the store will be needed should the existing No Frills be closed for a new development (although it’s unclear when a planned development will proceed).

“Loblaws on [Queen’s Quay], Metro at Front/Church, and Rabba don’t cut it when you can’t afford the premium prices that those places charge. There are a ton of people between Jarvis and Parliament south of King that can’t afford to spend $7.99 for a pound of store-brand butter,” one Reddit user wrote in a thread about the new grocery store.   

The store is set to open on Nov. 28.