Dominion Stores (Newfoundland)

Dominion is the primary brand name of the major-market supermarkets of Loblaw Companies Limited in Newfoundland. The Dominion brand name is used under licence from Metro Inc., which discontinued its use of that banner in the rest of Canada in late 2008 and has no other affiliation with the Newfoundland stores.

History

The chain began as Ayre's Supermarkets, a division of local department store chain Ayre and Sons. It was acquired by Dominion Stores Ltd. in 1963, eventually adopting the Dominion brand. Following the sale of Dominion to A&P Canada, the Newfoundland operations were resold to local owners in 1987 and subsequently merged with two smaller local chains. The newly-amalgamated parent company was named Amalco Foods, but the combined chain's brand name remained "Dominion".

Loblaw acquired the Dominion chain in Newfoundland in 1995, and soon after began implementing its own private-label products and store designs at these locations. Ultimately Dominion's traditional "Big D" logo was replaced with a derivative of the Loblaws logo, rotated to look like a D instead of an L. This logo had also been used by Loblaw's former U.S. subsidiary, National Tea (as it also somewhat resembles a lower-case "n").

Today

In all respects other than name, the majority of Dominion stores in Newfoundland operate with the same appearance and format as the company's flagship Loblaws and Atlantic Superstore supermarkets, and its newest St. John's area...
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